Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Justin completed his Honours BA with high distinction at the University of Toronto in Political Science and Asia Pacific Studies. He is currently a MA Candidate at the University of British Columbia, where his MA thesis research focuses on questions of ethnicity, identity and nationality in Hong Kong and Taiwan. His research is supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) as well as the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association Scholarship Fellowship.

Previously, Justin has traveled to Japan on exchange at Kwansei Gakuin University, conducted fieldwork on the extractive industry transparency in Mongolia and has also participated in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ROC Taiwan) Mosaic Taiwan Fellowship program.

Justin currently works at the Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia.