About

I am currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin, where I research China’s online censorship and its impacts worldwide. I am also a Senior Fellow at ChinaFile, a Senior European Fellow at Cybersecurity for Democracy, and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).

I was previously Senior Editor for Investigations at ChinaFile, where I worked on data-driven research projects. Before that, I was a foreign affairs research analyst in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research; there, I focused on modern Chinese society as well as leadership and governance, including cultural, religious, ethnic, media, and political trends. I’ve spent time living in China, Kyrgyzstan, India, and Mexico. I speak Chinese and (some) German. There is Spanish and Uyghur buried in there too, somewhere.

I received an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Stanford University and a B.A. in Linguistics from Pitzer College.

You can reach me at hello@jessicabatke.com.

If you’re looking for a formal bio and headshot, please feel free to use the following:

Jessica Batke is Senior Editor for Investigations at ChinaFile, where she focuses on data-driven research projects. She is an expert on China’s domestic political and social affairs, and served as the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research Analyst for nearly eight years prior to joining ChinaFile.