XINZHI ZHAO

I am a political theorist specializing in the history of modern Western political, social, and economic thought. I also have a growing interest in realist theory of liberal democracy and comparative political theory.

I am currently a lecturer in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program at the University of Maryland, College Park, where I teach advanced undergraduate courses including “Social Philosophy and Political Economy,” “Topics in the History of Philosophy,” and “Contemporary Political Philosophy.”

Before joining UMD, I received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2024, where I studied political theory with a second field in comparative politics.

This website is being updated. While the current information is up to date, I will be adding more details about my research and teaching by summer 2025. In the meantime, please feel free to review my latest CV (updated April 2025) and contact me at zhaoxz@umd.edu.