Francis Zeng ’28 is a Political Science major at the University of Notre Dame. Zeng’s research interests include authoritarian resilience, democratization, and the social transformation of Hong Kong and mainland China. Working under Professor Victoria Hui in the Kellogg Institute’s Developing Researchers Program, Zeng is conducting textual and qualitative coding on early Chinese sources. His current research focuses on how Hong Kong’s democracy defenders sustain civic identity across borders.
Before transferring to Notre Dame, Zeng studied at The Ohio State University and participated in a political science program at Northwestern University, where he examined the challenges facing democratic institutions. He also interned at The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies and has been active in Catholic communities both in China and abroad.
Zeng hopes to connect academic research with practical understanding of political change and social resilience in East Asia.