Fuhua Zhai

Dr. Fuhua Zhai is a Professor and Thea Bowman Endowed Chair in Social Research at Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Service (GSSS). He also serves as Co-Director of the Fordham University Strategic Research Consortium on Global Studies. His academic journey includes a PhD and MPhil from Columbia University, an MSW from UIUC, and a BA from China Youth University for Political Sciences. Previously, he held roles at SUNY Stony Brook, NYU, and Columbia University.

Dr. Zhai's research focuses on early childhood education, child welfare, cultural values in parenting, and cross-national social policies. He employs experimental and statistical methods to analyze issues like child maltreatment, parenting stress, and the impact of socio-cultural contexts on family dynamics. His work spans global regions, including China, India, and the U.S., with a particular emphasis on immigrant populations and marginalized communities.

His publications highlight themes such as unpaid care work's impact on women’s employment in India, neighborhood effects on parenting stress among Asian immigrants, and the role of social support in mitigating risks of child maltreatment. Current projects include studies on youth governance participation in China, intergenerational conflict in immigrant families, and policy reforms in China's social safety nets.

• Research Grants: Supported by multiple grants analyzing childcare policies, family well-being, and cross-cultural adaptation challenges.
• Teaching: Courses include advanced statistical methods, social policy analysis, and human behavior in social environments.
• Labs/Teams: Leads the Global Studies Consortium, focusing on multidisciplinary research addressing global social challenges.