Zhen Zhang

Zhen Zhang received his PhD from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tsinghua University in China. Before joining SMU in 2020, Zhen worked at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University for twelve years, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses of Organizational Behavior, Leadership, Cross-Cultural Management, and advanced research methods.

Zhen’s research focuses on leadership process and leadership development, work teams and groups, biological basis of work behavior, start-ups and entrepreneurship, and advanced research methods. His work has appeared in several leading management journals including Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and the Leadership Quarterly, and has been cited in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Globe and Mail.

Zhen's consulting experience includes his work with a variety of companies and non-profit organizations including leading manufacturing companies in Germany, commercial banks, pharmaceutical companies, and research and development labs in China, as well as state and federal government agencies and Silicon Valley start-ups in the United States.

Research

• Leadership Processes and Development
• Biological Basis of Work Behavior
• People Side of Entrepreneurship
• Advanced Research Methods