Tabatha comes to Stanford after half a decade of working in think tanks as a China-focused analyst. In her role at The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Tabatha provided core research and writing support for the Geo-Economics and Strategy Programme's mega-project on the Belt and Road Initiative. Prior to her time at IISS, Tabatha conducted research on China's emergence as a global power with the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS) and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). As a first-generation student, she holds two bachelor's degrees: one in Mandarin Chinese and one in Government and Politics, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. Tabatha has studied abroad in China and Taiwan with support from the US Department of State's Critical Language Scholarship and the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, respectively.