Dr Mary Zhang

Research Interests

Research Disciplines:

  • Poverty

  • Sustainable development

Research Keywords:

  • Poverty, social exclusion, gender equality, sustainable development, resilience, climate change, well-being

Countries/Regions:

  • Low- and Middle-income countries

Research Cluster:

Research Grants

A Pan-African and Transdisciplinary Lens on the Margins: Tackling the Risks of Extreme Events, International Development Research Centre, 2023-26, as Co-PI

From Flooding Storylines to Resilience Stories in Lusaka, Natural Environment Research Council, 2021-22, as Co-PI

Monograph on Child Poverty in Zanzibar, United Nations Children’s Fund, 2021-22, as Co-PI

Physical and Mental Health Toll of Food Insecurity due to Climate Change, University of Bristol Pro-Vice-Chancellor-Research Strategic Research Investment Fund, 2021, as PI

Exploring the Feasibility of Providing in-time Bespoke Measurement and Statistical Consultancy beyond Academia, Economic and Social Research Council, Accelerating Business Collaboration Scheme, 2021, as PI

Integration of Multidimensional Child Poverty Analysis in National Statistics, United Nations Children’s Fund, 2020-21, as Co-PI

Child Poverty Estimates in Pakistan, United Nations Children’s Fund, 2020-21, as Co-PI

Estimating the Vulnerability of African Girls and their Families to Covid-19 Infections, University of Bristol Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, Global Public Health Strand Covid-19 Fund, 2020, as Co-PI

Supporting the Measurement and Enhancement of African Children’s Rights and Well-being in Nutrition, Healthcare and Education through a Gender Lens, Economic and Social Research Council, Global Challenges Research Fund Scheme, 2019-21, as PI

Poverty and Malnutrition in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Economic and Social Research Council, Impact Acceleration Account, 2018-19, as PI

Helping to Improve the Measurement of Multiple Malnutrition in Developing Countries, Economic and Social Research Council, Impact Acceleration Account, 2018, as PI

Understanding Poverty and Social Exclusion in China and the United Kingdom, Economic and Social Research Council, International Strategic Fund, 2017, as PI

Publications

Pomati, M., Sandy, S., & Zhang, M. (2023). UNICEF Zanzibar State of Zanzibars Children. UNICEF-Tanzania Publication. 

Shifa, M., Gordon, D., Leibbrandt, M., & Zhang, M. (2022). Socioeconomic-Related Inequalities in COVID-19 Vulnerability in South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10480. 

McClure, A., Daron, J., Bharwani, S., Kavonic, J., Janes, T., Jones, R., Zhang, M., Murisa, M., Jjemba, E., Mkandawire, B., and Jack, C. (2022) Principles for co-producing climate services: practical insights from FRACTAL, Working Paper, FRACTAL Project. 

Reuschke, D., & Zhang, M. (2022). Precarious self-employment in urban Europe. European Urban and Regional Studies.

Pomati, M., Nandy, S., & Zhang, M. (2022). Trends in Multidimensional Child Poverty in Mainland Tanzania: What do the Mainland Household Budget Surveys Show Us? UNICEF Tanzania.

Zhang, M., Thompson, V., & Mitchell, D. (2021). Violence and mental health are likely to get worse in a warming world. The Conversation.

Brewer, T. F., Zhang, M., Gordon, D., Chung, R. Y.-N., Dejene, N., Fonta, C. L., Grieve, T., Halleröd, B., Harris, R., Lanau, A., Leibbrandt, M., Mekonen, Y., Muguni, B., Najera, H., Nandy, S., & Heymann, S. J. (2021). Housing, sanitation and living conditions affecting SARS-CoV-2 prevention interventions in 54 African countries. Epidemiology and Infection, 149-154, e183.

Naveed, T. A., Gordon, D., Ullah, S., & Zhang, M. (2021). The construction of an Asset Index at household level and measurement of economic disparities in Punjab (Pakistan) by using MICS-micro data. Social Indicators Research, 155(1), 73–95.

Zhang, M., Dawson, J. F., & Kline, R. B. (2021). Evaluating the use of covariance-based structural equation modelling with reflective measurement in organisational and management research: A review and recommendations for best practice. British Journal of Management, 32(2), 257–272.

Zhang, M., & Gordon, D. (2020). Understanding gender inequality in poverty and social exclusion through a psychological lens: Scarcities, stereotypes, and suggestions. In F. M. Cheung & D. F. Halpern (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of the International Psychology of Women, Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology (pp. 390–401). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Zhang, M., Gordon, D., & African Child Policy Forum. (2020). Covid-19 and Girls in Africa: A Synopsis. African Child Policy Forum. ISBN: 978-999-44-3-048-2.

Zhang, M., & African Child Policy Forum. (2020). The African Report on Child Well-being 2020: How friendly are African governments towards girls? African Child Policy Forum.

Burchell, B., Reuschke, D., & Zhang, M. (2020). Spatial and temporal segmenting of urban workplaces: The gendering of multi-locational working. Urban Studies, 58(11), 2207-2232.

Zhang, M., & Selwyn, J. (2020). The subjective well-being of children and young people in out of home care: Psychometric analyses of the “Your Life, Your Care” survey. Child Indicators Research, 13(5), 1549–1572.

Lau, M. K. W., Gordon, D., Zhang, M., & Bradshaw, J. (2019). Children’s and adults’ perceptions of child necessities in Hong Kong. Social Policy and Administration, 53(6), 835–853.