About me

Hello! My name is Huiyan Zhang (张慧妍). I am an assistant professor in the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University.

My research concentrates on the economics of innovation with a focus on intellectual property rights and firm innovation strategy. I am particularly interested in what incentivizes firms to innovate, how firms strategically transform their (patented) inventions into competitive advantage, and how firms’ innovation strategies are affected by their institutional contexts. My work has been published in top academic journals such as Strategic Management Journal and Administrative Science Quarterly.  

Prior to joining academia, I was a full-time junior research fellow at China's Patent Office. During my four-year work experience, I conducted several research projects, as both the project leader and team member, on China's patent policy, annual patent surveys, and firm innovation incentives.