London, United Kingdom

Hi! I'm Heather.

I'm a 21-year-old aspiring scholar-practitioner in International Relations, originally from Toronto and now based in the UK. My work centres on the place of the environment in the international order. I've written extensively about a concept I call environmental hierarchy: the idea that the international system not only ranks people, but also assigns hierarchical value to non-human elements of our world. You can read a summary of my thinking here.

My interests go beyond that, though. I'm broadly curious about the ecological challenge to the international order: how a new "green order" is emerging, and how environmental pressures are reshaping our understanding of the state. I'm also drawn to IR theory, especially decolonial and constructivist approaches. Lately, I've been grappling with Audre Lorde’s The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House, and I’d love to talk to anyone thinking about how academic work can be reconciled with decolonial commitments.


A photo of the owner of the webpage. She is smiling in front of a pier.

Currently:

Starting in September 2025, I’ll be studying for an MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE), having recently graduated with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford with First-Class Honours. Part-time, I'm currently working as a Research Intern at the Climate Change and (In)Security Project. Other than that, I’m currently on a summer hiatus, taking time to work on personal projects and finally catch up on my reading list.That said, I’m still actively looking for opportunities in the climate space, particularly with think tanks and NGOs. If you’re interested in anything I’ve written or would just like to connect, feel free to reach out: heather.hz.li@gmail.com.

In past lives:

Most recently, I worked as a Research Assistant to Dr. Farsan Ghassim on his forthcoming book about global democracy. I also served as a Research Assistant at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI), contributing to programming and research related to Canadian defence and security. One project I’m particularly proud of is a panel I organised on Canada’s Arctic strategy and international Arctic governance, which is especially fascinating given rising tensions between geopolitical interests and scientific best practices.

I’ve also worked as a research assistant for both the Department of Economics and the Department of English Language and Literature at Oxford. Beyond the university, I led the Righting History project at Shake Up the Establishment, which explored questions about historical narrative in Canada: who tells it, and what that means for how we understand the past, present, and future.

In a volunteer capacity, I’ve worked as a Compliance Analyst for the G20 Research Group based at the University of Toronto, monitoring climate and macroeconomic commitments from G20 countries. I’ve also convened multiple debate tournaments, including Oxford Schools’.

Miscellaneous:

Currently Reading: Outline, Rachel Cusk