Xinshen Diao of China joined IFPRI as a research fellow in 2000. Diao earned a B.A. and M.A. in business economics from the Beijing Institute of Economics and a Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Minnesota. At IFPRI, Diao works on issues related to agricultural development, economic growth, intersectoral linkages, international trade, regional trade integration, and the World Trade Organization. Before coming to IFPRI, she was an assistant professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota, stationed at the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. She has also held positions at the World Bank, the Economic Reform Institute of China and the Research Center for Rural Development of the State Council (RCRD), both in Beijing.