Joseph H.S. Zhao

Hello from  Dr Joseph Hongsheng Zhao. I am an urban planner and social scientist researching sustainable urban transitions, migration, and planning for post‑industrial cities. As an experienced lecturer and grant‑winning researcher with an emerging international profile, I am currently working as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Town Planning at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) at Paisley, Greater Glasgow, Scotland.

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Originally from Qingdao, an industrial city in eastern China, and having lived in global urban centres such as Hong Kong, Montreal, and Singapore, I have experienced first-hand the processes of urban transition -ranging from mass migration and environmental transformation to the social consequences of deindustrialization. These experiences have profoundly shaped my academic approach, leading me to adopt a comparative and fieldwork-based perspective to understand the interplay between place, people, and the evolving urban dynamics.

 

I hold an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge, and served two post-doc in Glasgow and for EU Horizon project. My academic journey so far includes working and traveling across 30 countries. Beyond academia, I enjoy communication and synoptical reading in six different languages, rambling across city's back alleys the  to investigate urban hidden gems, and playing the traditional instrument xiao. 

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Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, or email me via jhszhao@cantab.net for collaboration and consulting opportunities.