Antonia Hmaidi works on the geopolitics of technology, China’s pursuit of tech self-reliance (especially in areas like semiconductors, operating systems and internet infrastructure), China's cybersecurity and hacking campaigns. Hmaidi also develops modelling and big data analysis tools and leads MERICS' data task force. She gained experience as a project manager at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, worked at the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), as a journalist in Asia and at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Antonia holds a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Politics and Economics from Ruhr University Bochum and Renmin University of China, and a master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institutes of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva and New Delhi.