Mary Zhang

Mary Zhang is an Associate Professor of International Social Policy and a 125th Anniversary Fellow at the University of Birmingham. Prior to this role, she held academic positions at the Universities of Bristol and Oxford. Her research focuses on poverty and social exclusion, gender inequality, and climatic vulnerability, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Her work is funded by organizations such as the ESRC, IDRC, NERC, and UNICEF, contributing to impactful policy reports and Research Excellence Framework case studies. She also engages in global capacity-building initiatives for NGOs.

Her research interests include developing multidimensional poverty measures for low- and middle-income countries, gender disparities in sustainable development and the care economy, and enhancing resilience against climatic challenges. Notable projects include studies on child poverty in Zanzibar and Pakistan, flood resilience in Lusaka, and the health impacts of climate-induced food insecurity.

Mary has secured significant grants as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Investigator (Co-I), including projects on extreme event risk mitigation (IDRC, 2023-26), climatic vulnerability in Africa (ESRC, 2019-21), and child welfare measurement (UNICEF, 2020-21). Her work has been disseminated globally, including at UN Science Summits.

She teaches advanced social policy theories and research methodologies and provides statistical training to international NGOs. Her contributions bridge academic research with policy impact, emphasizing interdisciplinary solutions to global challenges.