Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang serves as a Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead on Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity in the Environment and Production Technology Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). She co-leads the CGIAR Research Initiative on Low-Emission Food Systems (Mitigate+) and leads the Work Package on Living Labs for People (2022-2024).

Dr. Zhang's educational background includes a PhD in Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics from Michigan State University with specialization in Environmental and Resource Economics, an MA in Community Development and Applied Economics from the University of Vermont, and a BA in International Economics from Renmin University of China. Prior to joining IFPRI in 2008, she worked as an Economist in the Environment Department at the World Bank on payment for environmental services.

Her research focuses on the intersection between agriculture, development, nature/environment, and climate change. Key interests include the economics and behavior of ecosystem service management and biodiversity conservation, natural resource governance, nature-based/nature-positive solutions, participatory action research, and behavioral experiments for experiential learning, with gender and climate change as cross-cutting issues. She has extensive experience leading multidisciplinary research projects in Africa, South Asia, East and Southeastern Asia, and Latin America.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on practical applications of ecosystem services research, particularly in developing countries. Her work frequently combines field experiments with policy-relevant analysis, focusing on solutions that balance agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability. The research demonstrates particular strength in using behavioral economics approaches to address natural resource management challenges.

• NASEM ad-hoc study committee appointment on the status of insects in North America (2025)

Dr. Zhang has made significant contributions to capacity strengthening of national partners and has contributed to global research initiatives including TEEB for Agriculture and Food, and working groups such as SESYNC and SNAPP. Her work often involves collaborative research across disciplines and institutions to address complex challenges at the agriculture-environment nexus.

She leads several initiatives using experiential learning games as tools for triggering collective change in natural resource management, with applications across multiple continents. Her research on groundwater governance, payment for ecosystem services, and climate-resilient agriculture demonstrates practical applications of her theoretical work.