Xinyi Zhao

Xinyi Zhao is an Affiliate Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany, affiliated with the Laboratory of Migration and Mobility within Emilio Zagheni's Digital and Computational Demography research group. Her work bridges demographic science and computational methods to analyze global academic mobility patterns.

Her research focuses on:

• Gender disparities in international professional migration using LinkedIn data
• Subnational analysis of scientific talent flows
• Return migration dynamics of German-affiliated researchers
• Computational demography methodologies leveraging big data sources

Recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate consistent output in high-impact venues including PNAS and Population and Development Review, revealing how gender, discipline, and geography shape migration flows of scholars. Her work uniquely combines bibliometric datasets (Scopus) with digital trace data to uncover systemic patterns in academic mobility.

As an Affiliate Researcher, Zhao contributes to MPIDR's mission through collaborative projects within the Laboratory of Migration and Mobility, which pioneers digital approaches to demographic research. Her work receives institutional support from the Max Planck Society and informs global discussions on research mobility and equity.