David K. Schneider's primary field of research is in pre-modern political thought and literature. He is currently completing a book manuscript on Du Fu's (712-770) poetry: The Prophetic Voice: Political Thought and the Figuration of Utopia in Du Fu's An Lushan-Era Poetry. Another project concerns nature, utopianism and self-cultivation in Liu Zongyuan's (773-819) landscape essays and poetry. He is also interested in the role of China and East Asia in contemporary international affairs, and has published analytical essays in Diplomatic Courier, the web journal American Diplomacy, the G8 and G20 economic summit magazines, and China Business Review. Prior to his academic career, Professor Schneider was an officer of the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, the branch of the American Foreign Service responsible for promoting international trade and investment, with postings to the American Embassy in Beijing, China and the American Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he was Principal Commercial Officer. He has also served as an international trade analyst in the China Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In the private sector, he has worked for Mitsubishi International Corporation and Chindex International, Inc. in New York.