Kenton Thibaut

About Kenton Thibaut

Kenton Thibaut is Senior Resident China Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), where she leads China programming for the Democracy + Tech Initiative; she is also a Senior Fellow at the Scowcroft Center’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative.In this capacity, she serves as head of China research and as principal investigator for projects examining China’s role in the global technology ecosystem and the PRC’s policy priorities in the digital domain. Her work focuses in particular on state approaches to data governance, including data controls, data localization, and cross-border data restrictions, and how these frameworks shape information control, technology diplomacy, and the development, deployment, and governance of artificial intelligence. Her research is explicitly comparative, situating China’s data and technology policies alongside those of the United States and the European Union to assess their implications for strategic competition, global standards-setting, and the international digital order.Prior to joining DFRLab, Thibaut spent five years in the private sector advising multinational firms on Chinese government relations and regulatory risk, with sectoral experience spanning aerospace, health, technology, and consumer goods, among others. She previously conducted research at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center, where her work focused on Chinese elite politics and decision-making dynamics.Thibaut received her PhD in Political Science from Georgetown University, where her doctoral research examined the social and political drivers of regulatory fragmentation in cross-border data governance regimes and the implications for global AI governance. She has held multiple competitive research fellowships, including a Fulbright Fellowship, Blakemore Freeman Fellowship, and Boren National Security Fellowship. She is a security fellow at the Truman National Security Project and a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations.Thibaut holds an MA in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and completed graduate studies in Nanjing, China. She lived for over five years in Mainland China and Taiwan and is proficient in Mandarin Chinese. She is also currently completing three certifications through IAPP: Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT), Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), and AI Governance Professional (AIGP).

Experience

1. Senior Fellow

   Scowcroft Center For Strategy And Security

   Feb 2025 — Present

Education

• Hopkins-Nanjing Center

  Certificate in Chinese and American Studies

  2014 — 2015

• Louisiana State University

  Dual Degrees, B. A. International Relations, B.A. Political Science

  2006 — 2011

• Georgetown University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Political Science and Government

  2020

• National Taiwan University

  Chinese Language

  2013 — 2014

• Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

  Master's Degree, International Economics and Chinese Studies

  2014 — 2016

• The University of Texas at Austin Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution

  Certification in Mediation and Negotiation

  2013

• Sichuan University

  Chinese Language and Politics

  2009 — 2010