Annah Zhu

Annah Zhu is an Assistant Professor at Wageningen University & Research's Department of Environmental Policy, specializing in globalization's environmental impacts with a focus on China. Her work integrates geography, anthropology, and global governance frameworks to analyze environmental transformations. She holds a PhD from UC Berkeley (2019) and a Master's from Duke University (2008), with prior experience at the UN Environment Programme and Peace Corps Madagascar.

• Education: PhD in Society & Environment (UC Berkeley), MEnvMan (Duke), BSc Biology (Reed College)

Research emphasizes China's role in global environmental governance, including timber trade dynamics between China and Madagascar, ecological engineering projects, and wildlife conservation policies. Key projects include the NWO Veni-funded 'Great Green Walls' initiative and a book project on rosewood trade networks. Her work bridges critical social sciences with policy analysis, addressing topics like biodiversity conservation, political ecology, and transnational resource extraction.

Recent publications explore China's environmental diplomacy, wildlife market governance post-COVID-19, and the socio-environmental impacts of infrastructure projects in the Global South. She collaborates with institutions like Tsinghua University and contributes to debates on ecological civilization discourse in China.

• Grants: NWO Veni Grant (2021-2025)
• Key Projects: Governing China's post-COVID food systems, Southeast Asian marine restoration, and global environmental mobilities