Student Spotlight: Guankai Zhai
Meet Guankai Zhai, an incoming PhD student in MS&E.
HOMETOWN
Jining, China
WHERE I LIVED BEFORE STANFORD
Ithaca, NY
ALMA MATER
Cornell University
MAJOR
Computer Science
RESEARCH THEMES MY WORK REPRESENTS
AI & Data Science
Informing Policy Decisions
Academic and work experience
During my undergraduate years, I co-founded a hardware startup and saw firsthand how fragile supply chains could stall innovation. Later, while studying entrepreneurship in emerging markets, I became fascinated by how small firms navigate uncertainty and institutional gaps. Those experiences convinced me that a PhD in MS&E would give me the tools to study these challenges rigorously while staying grounded in real-world impact.
Impact I hope to have in my field and the world
I hope to reshape how we understand and support small enterprises in emerging economies. By combining statistical analysis with fieldwork, my goal is to generate insights that entrepreneurs, policymakers, and community leaders can act on. In the long term, I want to help design systems—from supply chains to policy frameworks—that level the playing field so ordinary people and businesses everywhere can thrive.
Interests and hobbies
Outside of research, I'm passionate about aviation—from flying paper airplanes to logging every flight I take. I love road-tripping and have driven over 80,000 miles across the US within three years of getting my license, often stopping to explore small towns and their histories. I also enjoy reading science fiction, cooking simple comfort foods, and occasionally testing how long I can survive on instant noodles (answer: not long).
Published September 22, 2025.