Biography

Qiang Zha is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education, York University (Canada), where he served as the Director of Graduate Program in Education in 2017-2020. He was appointed as a York University Provostial Fellow in 2021-2022, and as the Interim Director of York Centre for Asian Research in 2023-24. He also served as an associate editor of Springer’s journal Innovative Higher Education, and Taylor & Francis’ Chinese Education & Society. He holds a PhD (Higher Education) from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto and a MA (Comparative Education) from the Institute of Education, University of London. His research interests include Chinese and East Asian higher education, international academic relations, global brain circulation, internationalization of higher education, globalization and education, differentiation and diversity in higher education, theories of organizational change, and liberal arts education in China and elsewhere. He has written and published widely on these topics in scholarly journals such as Compare, Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, Higher Education in Europe, Harvard China Review, China Quarterly, Educational Philosophy and Theory, and in the form of books or book chapters. In 2004, he was a co-recipient of the inaugural IAU/Palgrave Prize on Higher Education Policy Research. His published books include a co-authored book (with Ruth Hayhoe et al) Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities: In the Move to Mass Higher Education (Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong and Springer, 2011), and five edited volumes Education and Global Cultural Dialogue (co-edited with Karen Mundy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012), Education in China. Educational History, Models, and Initiatives (Berkshire Publishing, 2013), Canadian Universities in China’s Transformation: An Untold Story (co-edited with Ruth Hayhoe and Julia Pan, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2016), China’s University-Industry Partnership, Cooperative Education, and Entrepreneurship Education in a Global Context (co-edited with Guangfen Yan et al, Routledge, 2017), and International Status Anxiety and Higher Education: The Soviet Legacy in China & Russia (co-edited with Anatoly Oleksiyenko et al, Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong and Springer, 2018).

Scholarly Interests

Chinese and East Asian higher education, international academic relations, global brain circulation, internationalization of higher education, global competence education, differentiation and diversity in higher education, theories of organizational change, and liberal arts education in China and elsewhere.

Courses Taught

• Global Issues and Education (ED/EDUC 3710)
• Policy Research in Education (GS/EDUC 5205)
• Rethinking Schooling: A "Re-Introduction" to Education (ED/EDUC 1000)

Selected Publications

• Zha, Qiang (2024). Higher Education Research and Reality: They Need to Be Better Aligned International Higher Education (117, Winter Issue), 32-34. doi:https://doi.org/10.36197/IHE.2024.117.15.
• Zha, Qiang and Li, Xiaojie (2024). How Canadian Universities Are Caught in the Geopolitical Tensions: Perspectives of Faculty of Chinese and Non-Chinese Origins. Canadian Ethnic Studies, 56 (2), 131-156.
• Zha, Qiang and Li, Xiaojie (2024). Racial Profiling amidst Geopolitical Tension: Chinese Professors in Canada International Higher Education (119, Summer Issue), 16-18. doi:https://doi.org/10.36197/IHE_2024.119.08.
• Shen, Wenqin; Zha, Qiang; and Liu, Chao (2023). From rejection to acceptance: the institutionalization of adopting university ranking outcomes as policy and strategic tools in China since the 1980s Policy Reviews in Higher Education (Published online). doi:10.1080/23322969.2023.2209655.
• Mou, Leping; Zha, Qiang; Hayhoe, Ruth (2023). Liberal Arts Education in the Universities of Greater China: Historical Legacy, Current Models, and Future Prospects University of Oxford Centre for Global Higher Education Working Paper Series (no. 94).
• Zha, Qiang (2023). Newly Founded Local Universities: "Land-grant Colleges" on Chinese Soil?. In Ceren Ergenc and David S.G. Goodman (Eds.), Handbook on Local Governance in China: Structures, Variations, and Innovations. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Zha, Qiang (2023). Reimagining China-US University Relations: A Global "Ecosystem" Perspective Studies in Higher Education. doi:10.1080/03075079.2023.2269966.
• Han, Shuangmiao; Zha, Qiang; and Xie, Jing (2023). Understanding Chinese universities' strategic responses to the 'Double First-class' initiative and the potential outcome on higher education diversity: an exploratory study Studies in Higher Education (Published online). doi:10.1080/03075079.2023.2206426.
• Postiglione, Gerard A. and Zha, Qiang (2022). Culture and academic tradition in China Universities & Intellectuals, 2 (1), 1-6.
• Zha, Qiang (2022). Issues and Challenges Facing University Collaboration between China and North America: An Academic Culture & Academic Freedom Perspective. American Journal of Chinese Studies, 29 (1), 1-17.
• Zha, Qiang (2022). Will China Remain a Top Player in the International Education Market? International Higher Education (112, Autumn Issue), 29-31. doi:https://doi.org/10.36197/IHE.2022.112.14.
• Zha, Qiang (2022). How should liberal arts education evolve in the twenty first century? An exploration of universities in China and beyond Educational Philosophy and Theory, 54 (12), 2082-2096. doi:10.1080/00131857.2021.1984228.
• Zha, Qiang (2022). Revisiting the discourse of a Chinese model of the university: A Confucian-Legalist legacy impact perspective. In James Côté and Sarah Pickard (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of the Sociology of Higher Education, Second Edition (pp. 333-346). Abingdon and New York: Routledge
• Zha, Qiang (2021). Equality and Equity in Chinese Higher Education in the Post-Massification Era: An Analysis Based on Chinese Scholarly Literature China Quarterly, 244, 1056-1077. doi:10.1017/S0305741020001241.
• Zha, Qiang (2021). China's Academic Profession Hit by "Involution" International Higher Education, 107 (Summer Issue), 15-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.36197/IHE.2021.107.07.
• Zha, Qiang and Wu, Hantian (2021). Conceptualization and Development of Global Competence in Higher Education: The Case of China Academic Praxis, 1, 18-36.
• Zha, Qiang and Wu, Qing (2020). Ontario's Postsecondary Cooperative Education in a National and a Global Context: a mixed-methods exploration into its strength and issues Work Based Learning e-Journal International, 9 (2b), 22-54.
• Anatoly Oleksiyenko, Gerardo Blanco, Ruth Hayhoe, Liz Jackson, Jack Lee, Amy Metcalfe, Malini Sivasubramaniam & Qiang Zha (2020). Comparative and international higher education in a new key? Thoughts on the post-pandemic prospects of scholarship. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. doi:10.1080/03057925.2020.1838121.
• Zha, Qiang; Wu, Hantian; and Hayhoe, Ruth (2019). Why Chinese Universities Embrace Internationalization: An Exploration with Two Case Studies. Higher Education, 78 (4), 669-686. doi:10.1007/s10734-019-00364-w.
• Costa, D. de M., Barbosa, F. V., Zha, Q., and Trilokekar, R. D. (2019). Higher Education Systems and the Tuition Fees Charging: Perspectives and Perceptions in Brazil, Canada and China.. Brazilian Business Review, 16 (2), 136-153. doi:https://doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2019.16.2.3.
• Zha, Qiang and Wang, Chuanyi (2019). Tertiary Education in Contemporary China. Oxford Bibliographies. doi:10.1093/OBO/9780199920082-0165.
• Wang, Chuanyi and Zha, Qiang (2018). Measuring systemic diversity of Chinese universities: a clustering-method approach. Quality and Quantity (52), 1331-1347. doi:10.1007/s11135-017-0524-5..
• Oleksiyenko, Anatoly; Zha, Qiang; Chirikov, Igor; and Li, Jun (Eds.) (2018). International Status Anxiety and Higher Education: The Soviet Legacy in China & Russia. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong & Dordrecht: Springer
• Zha, Qiang and Shen, Wenqin (2018). The Paradox of Academic Freedom in the Chinese Context. History of Education Quarterly, 58 (3), 447-452. doi:10.1017/heq.2018.22.
• Wu, Hantian and Zha, Qiang (2018). Chinese Higher Education, History of. In Michael A. Peters (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory. Singapore: Springer
• Wu, Hantian and Zha, Qiang (2018). A New Typology for Analyzing the Direction of Movement in Higher Education Internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 22 (3), 259-277. doi:http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1028315318762582.
• Zha, Qiang; Yan, Guangfen; and Zhu, Shiming (Eds.) (2018). Higher Vocational Education Reform and Development in China. A special issue of Chinese Education and Society. Vol.50, Issue 5-6.
• Zha, Qiang (2017). What is Liberal Arts Education in the 21st Century? An Exploration Starts with Chinese Universities and Goes Beyond China. In Kara A. Godwin and Noah Pickus (Eds.), Liberal Arts & Sciences Innovation in China: Six Recommendations to Shape the Future (Vol. 8, CIHE Perspectives, pp. 40-48). Boston, MA, USA: The Boston College Center for International Higher Education
• Zha, Qiang and Wang, Dongfang (2017). The Chinese Government Scholarship Program: the brain development scheme that illuminates a vision across 30 years. In Joan Dassin, Robin Marsh & Matt Mawer (Eds.), International Scholarships in Higher Education: Pathways for Social Change (pp. 235-254). New York, NY, USA: Palgrave Macmillan
• Zha, Qiang (2017). China: Massification Has Increased Inequalities. In Georgiana Mihut, Philip G. Altbach and Hans de Wit (Eds.), Understanding Global Higher Education: Insights from Key Global Publications (pp. 25-28). RotterdamThe Netherlands: Sense Publishers
• Zha, Qiang; Yan, Guangfen; and Li, Zhong (Eds.). (2017). China's University-Industry Partnership, Cooperative Education, and Entrepreneurship Education in a Global Context. (Zha, Qiang; Yan, Guangfen; and Li, Zhong, Eds.) Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge
• Hayhoe, Ruth; Pan, Julia; and Zha, Qiang (Eds.). (2016). Canadian Universities in China's Transformation: An Untold Story. (Hayhoe, Ruth; Pan, Julia; and Zha, Qiang , Eds.) Montreal/Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Yan, Fengqiao; Mao, Dan; and Zha, Qiang (2016). Institutional Transformation and Aggregate Expansion of Chinese Higher Education System. In Shibo Guo and Yan Guo (Eds.), Spotlight on China: Changes in Education under China's Market Economy (pp. 191-213). Rotterdam,The Netherlands: Sense Publishers
• Zha, Qiang and Tu, Derrick (2016). Doing mixed methods research in comparative education: Some reflections on the fit and a survey of the literature. In Alexander W. Wiseman and Emily Anderson (Eds.), Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2015 (pp. 165-190). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing
• Zha, Qiang (2016). What factors influence the direction of global brain circulation: the case of Chinese Canada Research Chairholders Compare, 46 (2), 214-234.
• Zha, Qiang; Shi, Jinghua; and Wang, Xiaoyang (2016). Is There an Alternative University Model? The Debate around the Chinese Model of the University. In James Côté and Andy Furlong (Eds.), Handbook of the Sociology of Higher Education (pp. 273-285). Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge
• Yang, Qiubo; Wang, Shibin; Zha, Qiang (2016). Canada's Industry-University Co-op Education Accreditation System and its Inspiration for the Evaluation of China's Industry-University-Institute Cooperative Education. Chinese Education and Society, 49 (3).
• Zha, Qiang and Hayhoe, Ruth (2015). The Chinese Model of Development and the Higher Education Policy. In Simon Schwartzman, Pundy Pillay and Romulo Pinheiro (Eds.), Higher Education in the BRICS Countries: Investigating the Pact between Higher Education and Society (pp. 335-351). DordrechtNetherlands: Springer
• Zhang, Lei and Zha, Qiang (2015). From University Professors' "Academic Attribute" to Their "Moral Virtue Attribute"--A Qualitative Inquiry with 14 Canadian Award-Laureates (in Chinese). Tsinghua Journal of Education, 36 (6), 75-85.
• Zha, Qiang; Shi, Jinghuan; and Wang, Xiaoyang (2015). Is There a Chinese Model of the University? International Higher Education (80), 27-29.
• Zha, Qiang (2014). The State, the University, and Capital: their Relations through Fukuyama's Lens Comparative and International Higher Education, 6 (3), 49-53.
• Zha, Qiang (2014). Anticipate the future: Chinese universities show a mixed story of success, crisis, promise and rich educational traditions to be revitalized. In Carl G. Amrhein and Britta Baron (Eds.), Building Success in a Global University: Government and Academia - Redefining the Relationship Around the World (pp. 101-118). Bonn: Lemmens
• Zha, Qiang (2014). Will China Excel in the Global Brain Race? International Higher Education (75), 15-16.
• Zha, Qiang and Wang, Chuanyi (2014). Systematic Changes in China International Higher Education (76), 19-20.
• Zha, Qiang and Hayhoe, Ruth (2014). The "Beijing Consensus" and the Chinese Model of University Autonomy. Frontiers of Education in China, 9 (1), 42-62.
• Tierney, William G. and Zha, Qiang (Co-Guest Editors) (2014). The Changing Nature of Academic Freedom in an Age of Globalization. A special issue of Frontiers of Education in China, Vol. 9, Issue 1
• Zha, Qiang and Yang, Qiubo (2014). A Quiet Revolution in Chinese Universities: Experimental Colleges International Higher Education (77), 25-27.
• Hayhoe, Ruth; Pan, Julia; and Zha, Qiang (2013). Lessons from the Legacy of Canada-China University Linkages. Frontiers of Education in China, 8 (1), 78-102.
• Zha, Qiang and Yan, Fengqiao (2013). Oscillations and Persistence in Chinese Higher Education Policy: a Path Dependence Analysis. In Paul Axelrod, Roopa Desai Trilokekar, Theresa Shanahan and Richard Wellen (Eds.), Making Policy in Turbulent Times: Challenges and Prospects for Higher Education. (pp. 317-338). Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Zha, Qiang and Lin, Jing (2013). China's Move to Mass Higher Education: Analyzing the Policy Execution with a "NATO-Scheme" . In Qi Li and Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin (Eds.), Survival of the Fittest: The Shifting Contours of Higher Education in China and the United States. (pp. 29-40). Dordrecht,The Netherlands: Springer
• Zha, Qiang (2013). Egalitarianism in Canadian Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospect. International Journal of Chinese Education, 2013 (2), 135-161.
• Zha, Qiang (Ed.) (2013). Education in China. Educational History, Models, and Initiatives. Gt Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing
• Zha, Qiang (2013) Canada's "Thousand Talent Program": How Canada Research Chair Program Attracts Chinese Academics?. Vancouver, BC: Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2013). China's Confucius Institutes--More Academic and Integrative International Higher Education (71), 15-17.
• Zha, Qiang (2012). "Walking on two legs": a policy analysis of China's move to mass higher education. In Hans G. Schuetze and Germán Álvarez (Eds.), State and Market in Higher Education Reforms: Trends, Policies and Experiences in Comparative Perspective (pp. 167-179). Rotterdam,The Netherlands: Sense Publishers
• Zha, Qiang and Mundy, Karen (2012). Education and Cross-cultural Dialogue: A Celebration of Ruth Hayhoe's Scholarship. In Karen Mundy and Qiang Zha (Eds.), Education and Global Cultural Dialogue (pp. 1-10). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan
• Zha, Qiang (2012). Intellectuals, Academic Freedom, and University Autonomy in China. In Hans G. Schuetze, William Bruneau, Garnet Grosjean (Ed.), University Governance and Reform. Policy, Fads, and Experience in International Perspective (pp. 209-224). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan
• Zha, Qiang (2012). Transnational Higher Education in China: towards a critical culturalist research agenda. In Karen Mundy and Qiang Zha (Eds.), Education and Global Cultural Dialogue (pp. 107-123). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan
• Mundy, Karen and Zha, Qiang (Eds.) (2012). Education and Global Cultural Dialogue. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan
• Zha, Qiang (2012). The Study-Abroad Fever among Chinese Students International Higher Education (69), 15-17.
• Hayhoe, Ruth; Li, Jun; Lin, Jing; and Zha, Qiang (in alphabetic order) (2011). Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities: In the Move to Mass Higher Education. Hong Kong & Dordrecht: Comparative Education Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong & Springer
• Zha, Qiang (2011). China's move to mass higher education in a comparative perspective. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41 (6), 751-768.
• Zha, Qiang (2011). Canadian-Chinese Education Collaborations: From Unilateral to Bilateral Exchanges. In Huhua Cao and Vivienne Poy (Eds.), The China Challenge: Sino-Canadian Relations in the 21st Century (pp. 100-119). Ottawa, Ontario: University of Ottawa Press
• Zha, Qiang (2010). Academic Freedom and Public Intellectuals in China: A Century of Oscillations International Higher Education (58), 17-18.
• Zha, Qiang (2009). Diversification or Homogenization in Higher Education: a Global Allomorphism Perspective. Higher Education in Europe, 34 (3/4), 459-479.
• Zha, Qiang (2009). Diversification or Homogenization: How Governments and Markets Have Combined to (Re)Shape Chinese Higher Education in Its Recent Massification Process. Higher Education, 58 (1), 41-58.
• Hayhoe, Ruth and Zha, Qiang (2006). China. In J.F. Forest and P.G. Altbach (Eds.), International Handbook of Higher Education (pp. 667-691). Dordrecht,The Netherlands: Springer
• Zha, Qiang (2006). The Resurgence and Growth of Private Higher Education in China. Higher Education Perspectives (Special Issue), 54-68.
• Hayhoe, Ruth, and Zha, Qiang (2005). The Role of Public Universities in the Move to Mass Higher Education: Some Reflections on the Experience of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. In F. Iacobucci and C. Tuohy (Eds.), Taking Public Universities Seriously (pp. 5-25). Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press
• Lang, Daniel and Zha, Qiang (2004). Comparing University: A Case Study between Canada and China. Higher Education Policy, 17 (4), 339-381.
• Hayhoe, Ruth and Zha, Qiang (2004). Becoming World Class: Chinese Universities Facing Globalization and Internationalization. Harvard China Review, 5 (1), 87-92.
• Zha, Qiang (2003). Internationalization of Higher Education: Towards a Conceptual Framework. Policy Futures in Education, 1 (2), 248-270.

Selected Presentations

• Zha, Qiang (2022, May). China’s Newly Founded Local Universities: Would They Mirror the ‘Land-grant Colleges’ on Chinese soil. Presented at: Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) Virtual 2022 Conference
• Zha, Qiang (2021, May). Reimagining Liberal Arts Education for the 21st Century. Presented at: Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) 2021 Conference
• Zha, Qiang (2021, April). Diversification of Chinese Universities: the discursive storylines of varying key stakeholders. Presented at: the 65th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
• Zha, Qiang (2019, June). Professional and Vocational Education in the 21st Century: Studies and Reflections about Policies and Practices in Canada, China and the US. Presented at: A symposium at the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) 2019 Conference, Vancouver, Canada
• Zha, Qiang and Shen, Wenqin (2019, April). The Paradox of Academic Freedom in the Chinese Context. Presented at: 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Toronto, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2019, April). Revisiting Equality and Equity Issues in Chinese Higher Education: a discussion in the post-massification era with a focus on regional disparities. Presented at: 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Toronto, Canada
• Wang, Wanying and Zha, Qiang (2019, April). Becoming Rivers That Never Stop”--An Autobiographical Inquiry of Chinese Immigrant Professors. Presented at: 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Toronto, Canada
• Zha, Qiang and Tierney, William (2019, April). Analyzing Equality and Social Justice in Higher Education in China. Presented at: 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Toronto, Canada
• Han, Shuangmiao and Zha, Qiang (2018, December). Would "First-Class Discipline" Initiative Boost Disciplinary Diversity in Chinese Universities? An Exploratory Study with Four Cases. Presented at: 2018 Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Research Conference, Newport, Wales, UK
• Zha, Qiang and Wu, Hantian (2018, November). Why Chinese Universities Embrace Internationalization Whole-heartedly and What for: An Exploration with Two Case Studies. Presented at: the 43rd Annual Conference of Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Tampa, Florida, USA
• Godwin, Kara; Pickus, Noah; Kirby, William; Postiglione, Gerard; and Zha, Qiang (2017, November). Innovation in Liberal Arts in China: Challenges in Practice. Presented at: 2017 Annual Conference of Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Houston, Texas, USA
• Hang, Futao; Coates, Hamish; Li, Mei; Kim, Yangson; and Zha, Qiang (2017, September). Strategies and activities of internationalization of higher education in Asia and Pacific in the changing international context. Presented at: 14th International Workshop on Higher Education Reform, Hiroshima University, Japan
• Zha, Qiang and Hayhoe, Ruth (2017, March). Internationalization of Chinese Higher Education: a ‘glonacal’ perspective. Presented at: the 61st Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Atlanta, Georgia
• Zha, Qiang and Wu, Qing (2017, March). Postsecondary Cooperative Education: Canada in a Global Context. Presented at: the 61st Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Atlanta, Georgia
• Zha, Qiang and Wang, Dongfang (2016, November). The Chinese Government Scholarship Program: the brain development scheme that illuminates a vision across 30 years. Presented at: the 41st Annual Conference of Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Columbus, Ohio
• Zha, Qiang and Tu, Derrick (2016, March). Mixed methods research in comparative education: Reflections on the fit based on a bibliometric analysis. Presented at: the 60th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
• Zha, Qiang (2016, March). Higher Education Policy and Implementation in China: Reflection from the macro, meso and micro perspectives. Presented at: the 60th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
• Zha, Qiang (2015, November). The State, the University and Capital: a reflection on their relations through Fukuyama’s lens. Presented at: the 40th Annual Conference of Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Denver, Colorado, USA
• Wang, Chuanyi and Zha, Qiang (2015, November). Measuring Systematic Diversity in Chinese Higher Education: A Multiple Methods Approach. Presented at: the 40th Annual Conference of Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Denver, Colorado, USA
• Zha, Qiang (2015, March). Globalization and the Chinese model of the university: Some reflections. Presented at: the 59th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Washington DC, USA
• Desai Trilokekar, Roopa; Embleton, Sheila and Zha, Qiang (2014, May). The next global knowledge powerhouses? The differing pathways of higher education reform in China and India. Presented at: Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) 2014 Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
• Yan, Fengqiao; Mao, Dan; and Zha, Qiang (2014, March 13). How Administrative Decentralization Pushed for Higher Education Expansion in China: an empirical analysis. Presented at: the 58th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Toronto, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2014, March 11). Egalitarianism in Canadian Higher Education: Retrospect and Prospect. Presented at: the 58th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Toronto, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2013, June). Oscillations and Persistence in Chinese Higher Education Policy: a path dependence analysis. Presented at: Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) 2013 Conference, Victoria, BC, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2013, March 14). Local Universities in China: their visions, aspirations and strategies in a turbulent era. Presented at: the 57th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), New Orleans, USA
• Zha, Qiang; Marginson, Simon; Briskman, Linda; and Tierney, William G. (2012, December 4). Academic Freedom: Universal Value or Circumscribed by the Nation State?. Presented at: 2012 Joint International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education and the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association, Sydney, Australia
• Zha, Qiang (2012, October). The "Bejing Consensus" and Chinese Universities: The Looming Crisis. Presented at: the 9th International Workshop on Higher Education Reform: Reforming the Policy and Practice of Community Engagement of Higher Education, Pittsburgh, USA
• Zha, Qiang (2012, April). Reflecting on Intellectuals and Academic Freedom in China: from a Perspective of Confucian Knowledge Tradition. Presented at: 2012 AERA Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2011, June). University Autonomy and Academic Freedom in China: Some Comparative Reflections. Presented at: Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) 2011 Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
• Zha, Qiang and Hayhoe, Ruth (2011, May). Academic Capitalism and Brain Circulation: Some Evidence Relating to the Canada Research Chair Program. Presented at: the 55th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Montreal, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2011, April3). China's Massification of Higher Education: a comparative perspective. Presented at: 2011 Joint Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) & International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS), Honolulu, Hawaii
• Zha, Qiang (2010, November). A "glonacal" perspective on Canadian-Chinese educational collaboration: implications for policy and strategy. Presented at: Beijing Forum 2010: The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All, Beijing, China
• Zha, Qiang (2010, October). Canada and China's Educational Collaboration: From Unilateral to Bilateral Exchanges. Presented at: Canadian Asian Studies Association (CASA) 2010 Annual Conference, Ottawa, Canada
• Zha, Qiang (2010, May). Canadian universities in a new era of global geo-politics: Their attractiveness to international talent: A research idea. Presented at: Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) 2010 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada
• Zhou, Guangli and Zha, Qiang (2010, March). Science and Technology as the Key to National Development: The Cases of Three Universities of Science & Technology in China. Presented at: the 54th Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Chicago, USA
• Zha, Qiang (2009, November 10). 'Walking on two legs': China's approach to mass higher education in last decade. Presented at: Keynote address at the 6th International Workshop on Higher Education Reforms, Mexico City, Mexico
• Zha, Qiang and Hayhoe, Ruth (2009, March). Is There A Chinese Model of the University?. Presented at: the 53rd Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Charleston, SC, USA
• Zha, Qiang and Lin, Jing (2008, March). China's Move to Mass Higher Education: the policy process. Presented at: the 52nd Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), New York, USA
• Zha, Qiang (2007, February). Enrolment Expansion in Chinese Universities: Towards a Framework of Understanding Features Characterizing Diversity and Diversification of Chinese Higher Education. Presented at: the 51st Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Baltimore, USA
• Zha, Qiang (2005, April). Homogenization or Diversification: Exploring an Ecosystem Paradigm for Differentiation in Higher Education. Presented at: 2005 AERA Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada

Research Projects

Is There Racial Profiling among Canadian University Professors of Chinese Descent? What Could Be the Consequences for the Canadian Research Community and Canada-China Research Collaboration?

Reimagining Liberal Arts Education with a Trans-Continental Partnership

Diversification and Classification of Chinese Higher Education: An Exploration of State, Market, and Institutional Forces

Postsecondary Cooperative Education: Ontario in a National and an International Context

China, India and the Challenge to Canada’s “Diplomacy of Knowledge”: A Comparative Study of the Internationalization of Higher Education

Canada-China University Linkages in a New Era of Global Geo-Politics

Canadian Universities and International Talent in a New Era of Global Geo-Politics

China’s Move to Mass Higher Education: Implications for Civil Society and Global Cultural Dialogue

Awards

• IAU/Palgrave Prize on Higher Education Policy Research (co-recipient based on the merit of an article titled Comparing University: A Case Study between Canada and China), International Association of Universities (IAU) - 2004
• Best Book Award for the academic year 2011-2012 (co-recipient based on the merit of a book titled Portraits of 21st Century Chinese Universities: In the Move to Mass Higher Education), Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Higher Education SIG - 2012

Professional Affiliations

• Higher Education Special Interest Group (HESIG) of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES): Co-Chair, 2013-2016
• Frontiers of Education in China: Co-Editor, 2011-2021
• International Journal of Chinese Education : Editorial Board Member
• Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC): Associate Team Member, Canada-China Human Capital Dialogue Project, 2011-2014
• Institute of Education, Tsinghua University: Wei Lun Visiting Professor, 2012-2013
• The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher: Editorial Board Member
• The Conference Board of Canada: Member, the Global Best Practices Reference Group of Centre for Skills and Post-Secondary Education, 2014-2018
• Comparative and International Higher Education: Co-Editor, 2013-2016
• Bulletin of Higher Education Research: Editorial Board Member
• School of Education, Tianjin University: Adjunct Professor, 2015-2018
• Chinese Education and Society: Editorial Board Member
• Department of Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education at the University of Toronto: Associate Member, 2016-2017
• Anhui University: Adjunct Professor, 2018-2021
• Cogent Education: Senior Editor (for the Education Policy section)
• SN Social Sciences: Editor
• Nanjing Normal University: Adjunct Professor, 2009-
• Innovative Higher Education: Associate Editor

York University Affiliations/Cross Appointments

• York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR): Interim Director, 2023-2024
• York Centre for Education and Community: Associate Member

Partnerships/Initiatives/Centres

• http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/cidec/Research/conference_2014.html: Qiang Zha is a follower of the Confucian scholarship that advocates the unity of knowledge and action, i.e., to realize our ideals through action and take on direct responsibility for bettering the society. As such, he always considers and pushes for university international collaborations as a vehicle for social changes. One manifestation of this belief is his diligence and leadership in moving Canada-China academic relations forward. In May 2014, he co-organized a major conference in Beijing, "Transforming Canada-China Educational Cooperation: Significant Legacies and Future Challenges," which brought together leading scholars and senior administrators who were involved in projects and partnerships between Chinese and Canadian universities across the fields of agriculture, education, engineering, environment, marine sciences, medicine, management, law and minority cultures between the early 1980s and the early 21st century. The event called for reflections on the long-term impact of Canada-China university linkages that were crucial to China’s rapid transition towards the position of economic and geo-political leadership it holds today in the world community, and what new synergies are now emerging between universities in the two countries that might be built upon in new forms of collaboration. By the same token, Qiang Zha appreciates the “Wisconsin Idea” that sought to extend the boundary of university-based research to directly serve the well-being of general public in the community and beyond. At the capacity of a member of the Executive Committee, York Centre for Asian Research, he advocates the notion of “Asian Studies at home,” which entails boosting interactions between Asia-focused researchers at York University and the Asian migrant communities in the Greater Toronto Area, providing a clear public point of access to York’s collective research expertise on Asia, and ensuring the wider dissemination of York research on Asia to those communities.

Service/Community Activities

• Faculty of Graduate Studies Council, York University: Member, 2016-2017
• York University Senate: Member of Senate, 2013-2016