Lei Qu
PhD Researcher
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Lei QU is a PhD researcher in the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS) at the University of Warwick. Her research lies at the intersection of political economy, institutionalist theory, and governance studies, examining how the United Kingdom`s energy infrastructure governance is reshaping the state`s strategic capacities and legitimacy in the post-liberal era. Drawing on historical, ideational, and discursive institutionalism, her work investigates how evolving ideas and discourses surrounding mission-oriented governance and the state`s role in shaping and creating public value, redefine the boundaries between state and market authority in the pursuit of Net Zero.
Lei`s doctoral research is supervised by Professor Caroline Kuzemko and Dr. Mitya Pearson.
Alongside her doctoral studies, Lei works full time as Whole Energy Market Strategy Manager at the National Energy System Operator(NESO), leading the strategic work on cross-vector market approaches in the energy policy team. She has worked for over two decades in the energy and sustainability sectors, including senior roles at Innovation Norway (Royal Norwegian Embassy in China) and the EU-China Clean Energy Centre (EC2), focusing on international energy cooperation and low-carbon innovation.
Lei holds an MSc in Management with Sustainability.
Thesis (Tentative)
Institutional Change and the Energy Transition: The Role of Ideas and Discourse in UK Energy Infrastructure Governance
Research Interests
- Energy infrastructure governance and the political economy of the transition to Net Zero
- Institutional change and mission-oriented statecraft
- Mission-oriented and public value governance
- Ideas, discourse, and legitimacy in infrastructure transitions
- Comparative approaches to post-liberal governance