Spotlight - Junjie Zhang
(2009) Q&A with Junjie Zhang, Assistant Professor of Environmental Economics
Junjie Zhang recently moved to La Jolla from Durham, North Carolina, where he received his Ph.D. in Environmental and Resource Economics from Duke University. The undergraduate education in China that led Zhang to Duke included earning a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Tsinghua University and a B.A. in Environmental Economics and Management from Renmin University of China in a joint-university program that was the first of its kind in China.
Zhang followed his bachelor’s studies with an M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering, also from Tsinghua University. He recently answered a few questions to help the UC San Diego community get to know him as he starts his new position.
What made you decide to continue your education in the United States?
Since the study of economics is a driving force for me, and the United States is known for its economics, it was the right place to go. As a student of Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, I studied resource economics, which was a new program at the time. Under the umbrella of environmental economics, I was able to continue to pursue interdisciplinary studies – I worked with the departments of economics, physics, and statistics, as well as Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.
What are you most looking forward to in your new position at UC San Diego?
The economics program is great here at UCSD! And there are not only political scientists here [at IR/PS], but also great economists. It’s a very interdisciplinary school of international relations, and I look forward to the collaboration opportunities.
How will you spend your time as you settle into a new home and a new job?
I’m going to start new research here – a new job, new research topic. I will focus on marine resource economics and energy and climate change issues. I have previous research experience in this field, and I’m looking forward to continuing my research.
I will also plan my new courses, which I will start teaching in the winter quarter. I will base my courses on the classes that have been taught here before – international environmental politics, Pacific economic issues. But my focus will be on environmental economics and policy, and it’s an umbrella topic.
Aside from doing research and planning my classes, I like photography – I have a good collection of cameras. The views here are fantastic, so I can use my cameras now! If I have the time, I also like to travel, not just in the United States, but also worldwide.
Zhang has a prime opportunity to travel frequently across the country: his fiancé is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at Duke University. Their engagement is recent; in the beginning of August, Zhang proposed to his longtime girlfriend in La Jolla Cove. “She likes it here very much,” he says, smiling.
To read more about Professor Zhang's areas of expertise, visit his faculty page.
