Katja Drinhausen is a founding member, contributor and co-managing director at The Decoding China Project. Her work focuses on China’s political, legal and governance system, including digital development and human rights. She also heads the research programme on Chinese politics and society at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), which she joined in 2018. She previously worked as a researcher and project coordinator for the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Beijing, organising political and academic exchange with Chinese partner institutions. Katja studied Sinology as well as Chinese and international law, receiving her LL.M. from China University of Political Science and Law.