Introducing the 2024 Summer Scholars-in-Residence at the Beijing Global Center

Columbia Global Center Beijing is excited to welcome our third cohort of scholars-in-residence in the summer of 2024. This diverse group includes three Columbia University faculty members from the Department of Sociology, the Journalism School, and the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics.

These scholars will spend their residency delving into compelling research topics related to China's contemporary challenges and opportunities, including developing predictive models for air pollution, exploring the challenges of leveraging Chinese cinema to enhance the country's soft power, and examining the latest trends transforming the engineering and construction industries.

The program will provide Columbia scholars with rich opportunities to immerse themselves in the vibrant academic environment of Beijing, a city renowned for its rich cultural heritage and intellectual vibrancy.

By residing at the Beijing Global Center, they will have direct access to local resources, scholars, and institutions, facilitating meaningful scholarly partnerships and collaboration with Chinese academics and experts.

Mike He

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology

Mike He joined the QMSS faculty in 2021 and has taught the Theory and Methods and Data Analysis courses at QMSS. An air pollution epidemiologist by training, he is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His research interests include the health effects of air pollution in low- and middle-income countries, the use of existing satellite data for air pollution health studies, and quantifying the effects of climate change on air pollution. More recently, his work has focused on air pollution exposure modeling using machine learning-based modeling approaches and exploring the effects of air pollution on immune response and vaccine efficacy. He has a BA in Public Health and Earth & Planetary Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, an MHS in Environmental Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Ty Lawson

Joan Konner Visiting Professor of Journalism

Ty Lawson is a creative global media and education professional experienced in broadcast and digital news as well as filmmaking. Prior to coming to Columbia, He was the inaugural Marion M. And John S. Stokes Visiting Professor in Race and Culture in Media at Loyola University’s School of Communication and Design. At Loyola, he spent two years developing classes that prepared journalists for the ever-changing media landscape. This included Advanced Journalism, Storytelling on Emerging Platforms, and Mapping Human Trafficking, which he taught to students in the USA and Argentina. Ty has worked for national and international broadcasters ABC News' "Good Morning America,” NBC’s “3rd Hour Today,” BBC Worldwide, and CCTV’s CGTN Digital division, producing innovative content. He started his career in local television news, working in various markets across the nation, including Chicago, Boston, and Houston.

Ibrahim Odeh

Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Construction Management, Strategy and Business Development in the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Ibrahim Odeh is the Founding Director of the Global Leaders in Construction Management (GLCM) program at the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University. He is a unique combination of a strategist, academic, innovator, and entrepreneur. His work seamlessly merges the worlds of industry and academia, spans the global construction market, and provides leading construction firms with unique market insights, growth strategies, and advice on digital transformation and technological trends that are reshaping the construction industry. Companies that Odeh collaborated or worked with from an advisory perspective, consulting role, or research collaboration effort are: World Economic Forum, Turner Construction, Skanska, Parsons Corporation, The Vertex Companies, Dentons, AECOM, AI Engineers, and WGI.