Sun Shen

Presidential Influence and the Making of International Agreements in the U.S.

Sun Shen is a Ph.D. candidate in Politics studying the intersection of American foreign policy and law. She holds a B.A. in Government (with honors) from Cornell University and a J.D. from William & Mary Law School. Her dissertation examines the role of U.S. presidents in international cooperation and how law shapes their decision-making in foreign affairs. Applying computational tools, including large language models and text analysis, her current project analyzes historical newspaper texts and State Department telegrams across different administrations to trace how presidential actions shape the dynamics of international cooperation in areas ranging from defense and trade to science and technology.