Selected Publications
2026
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2026). Constitutionalizing Society in an Age of Fragmented Authority: From State-Centrism to Social Constitutional Norms. International Conference: Beyond the State. New Perspectives on the Conceptual Relationships Between Constitution and Society. Paris, France. This conference was funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme under the Marie Curie Project SOCIAL grant agreement No 101150961, International Society of Public Law (ICON•S), and Institut Universitaire de France. [Peer Reviewed, Working paper for conference proceedings to be published]
2025
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). Justice-Oriented Ethical Impact Assessment for AI: Institutionalizing Cultural Diversity in Global AI Governance. Proceedings of the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI. The 3rd UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, Bangkok, Thailand. URL: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396997. [Peer Reviewed]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). Navigating Epistemic Gaps and Ethical Risks in AI Alignment: A Pluralistic Approach to Human Values. International Conference on Large-Scale AI Risks: Control, Governance, and Ethics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. [Peer Reviewed, Conference Paper]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). The Multipolar World Ahead: Reinventing World Order in an Era of Uncertainty. 54th St. Gallen Symposium, St. Gallen, Switzerland. Recognized as “Leader of Tomorrow” among the top contributions to the 54th St. Gallen Symposium Global Essay Competition. [Essay Competition]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). Intrinsic or Extrinsic to Canadian Identity? National Cohesion through Identity Boundaries amid U.S. Pressures and Deglobalization. The 8th Metropolis Identities conference: Reaffirming Canada: Confronting Challenges to Unity, Diversity and Identities. Resetting Canada’s Immigration Plan and Program for a New Era. Saskatoon, Canada. [Peer Reviewed, Conference Presentation]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). From Stagnation to Inclusive Growth: How Income Inequality and Distributional Imbalances Stall Economic Growth in Canada. Perspectives: A Canadian Journal of Political Economy and Social Democracy (Issue 4, Summer). pp. 52-87. Broadbent Institute. [Peer Reviewed, Journal Article]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). Genealogical Inquiry into Consciousness and Human Efforts at Self-Understanding. [Working Paper, Under Review]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). Global Public Reason as a Normative Basis of Legitimacy: Governing Pluralism in an Age of Disagreement. Workshop “Public Reason Across Time and Space: New Voices and Perspectives”. Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile. [Peer Reviewed, Workshop Presentation]
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2025). The Metaphysical Foundation of Modern Politics: Rousseau’s Legacy in the Conception of the General Will. R&R Project, Harvard University. [Working Paper, Under Revision]
2024
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2024). Unity in Diversity: Policies, Practices, and Challenges of Multiculturalism in Canada. Presented at Harvard University. [Working paper, to be submitted for publication]
2023
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (Trans.). (2023–2025). Methexis: The Platonic Theory of Ideas and the Participation of Empirical Things (Francesco Fronterotta; Italian Title: Methexis. La teoria platonica delle idee e la partecipazione delle cose empiriche: Dai dialoghi giovanili al Parmenide. 1997). Chinese edition. This translation project is part of a cross-institutional academic collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Peking University, and Sichuan University, etc. This edition is part of the Studies in Ancient Philosophy series, which introduces a selection of works by renowned scholars in ancient philosophy, such as Luc Brisson and Jean-François Pradeau. [Forthcoming]. [Book]
2022
Mao, Simone Zhenting. (2022). The Encounter Between Thomas Kuhn and Alexandre Koyré: The Post-Kantian Metaphysical Foundation of “Paradigm Shifts.” Paper presented at the Kuhn 100th Commemorative Conference, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania. [Peer Reviewed, Conference Paper]
Mao, Simone Zhenting, et al. (2022). Entry Contributor. Oxford Classical Dictionary (Chinese Edition). Center for Classical Civilization Studies, Renmin University of China. Contributed a large number of entries covering ancient philosophy (in particular Neoplatonism), Homeric epics, ancient physics and mechanical devices, Greek tragedy, faith, and mystical rituals in the classical world. This translation project is part of a significant national research initiative funded by the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC) since 2017, in collaboration with Oxford University, the British Academy, academic institutions in the United States and Europe, and leading scholars in Classical Studies. The project aims to introduce rigorous translation standards and terminological norms into the Chinese reception of Western classical knowledge. It represents one of the most extensive and systematic undertakings in the localization and reception of Greco-Roman intellectual heritage within Chinese academic discourse. [Book Entry]
2018
Mao, Simone Zhenting, et al. (2018). Case study contributor. In Characteristic Towns: Theory, Practice, and Policy. Leading research institutes. This comprehensive policy recommendation forms part of a year-long collaborative and interdisciplinary effort in the National Fundamental Research Program. Mao contributed in the areas of macroeconomic analysis, urbanization strategy, and governance reform, conducting fieldwork-based evaluations, formulating policy standards, and designing regulatory and assessment frameworks. Her work informed strategic recommendations on urban and industrial structural transformation, economic governance, and long-term development planning. [Policy Recommendation, Book Chapter]
Inquire. Investigate. Evolve.
Curiosity Sparks Reality.
Copyright © 2023 Simone Zhenting Mao. All rights reserved.
The troops exulting sat in order round,
And beaming fires illumined all the ground.
As when the moon, refulgent lamp of night,
O’er heaven’s pure azure spreads her sacred light,
When not a breath disturbs the deep serene,
And not a cloud o’ercasts the solemn scene,
Around her throne the vivid planets roll,
And stars unnumber’d gild the glowing pole,
O’er the dark trees a yellower verdure shed,
And tip with silver every mountain’s head:
Then shine the vales, the rocks in prospect rise,
A flood of glory bursts from all the skies:
The conscious swains, rejoicing in the sight,
Eye the blue vault, and bless the useful light.
So many flames before proud Ilion blaze,
And lighten glimmering Xanthus with their rays.
The long reflections of the distant fires
Gleam on the walls, and tremble on the spires.
A thousand piles the dusky horrors gild,
And shoot a shady lustre o’er the field.
Full fifty guards each flaming pile attend,
Whose umber’d arms, by fits, thick flashes send,
Loud neigh the coursers o’er their heaps of corn,
And ardent warriors wait the rising morn.