Teaching

University of Kansas Political Science Department 

“Dr. Zhang is the top instructor I have had while attending KU for graduate studies. His knowledge of the subject, professional demeanor, and presentation of the material were excellent.” - POLS 970 student 

"This was a great course that had terrific readings, challenging assignments, and excellent discussions. The course barely skipped a beat moving online due to excellent preparation for the lecture sessions." - POLS 970 student 

"Prof. Zhang is a real teacher, he is willing to work and help the student to achieve his/her goal. He is patient and capable of effectively communicate with students.” -POLS 970 student 

"Dr. Zhang is clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. He did awesome considering he had a child in the middle of the semester!" -POLS 676 student 

"The simulations were incredibly insightful and engaging. It was really helpful connecting what we were learning in the lecture to real-world situations."-POLS 170 student

"The content he creates is rich, data-driven, and accommodates a wide array of student learning levels and abilities. I’m drawn to a specific example of his accommodation toward those with disabilities and other needs." -POLS 170 GTA

University of Kansas Advising:

KU Graduate Students (expected graduation year, dissertation title):

KU Undergraduate Students (expected graduation year, project title)

*Winner of the KU Undergraduate Research Award


KU Trade War Lab, Faculty Mentor & Principal Investigator (2019–present)

Winner of the 2024 International Affairs Advisory Board International Teaching Award
Winner of the 2023 Grant Goodman Undergraduate Mentor Award
Winner of the 2022 J. Michael Young Academic Advisor Award
Winner of the 2021 Barbara Schowen Undergraduate Research Mentor Award  
Nominated for 2024 Ned N. Fleming Trust Award
Nominated for 2021 Deborah Gerner Innovative Teaching Award


"Dr. Zhang is an incredible research mentor and a fantastic person to know. He's extremely helpful, kind, and knowledgeable about his field. I've greatly valued my time as a research assistant for him, and I strongly recommend working with him to anyone interested."

"The Trade War Lab has allowed me to truly  make the most of my KU undergraduate experience ... and my experience is not unique among those who have worked with Dr. Zhang."

"In my opinion, this was the best research experience that any undergraduate student could ask for. There are a few different reasons for this. Number one, Dr. Zhang cared deeply about our success and our well-being. In every conversation and meeting, he made it clear that we were the priority. Additionally, Dr. Zhang has been a great resource in terms of school and career advice. Number two, Dr. Zhang developed a good mix of independent study and collaborative work."

"Dr. Zhang is both an active and supportive faculty mentor. He clearly values the development of each individual as well as of the group and sets challenging yet reasonable goals. Dr. Zhang encourages initiative and self-development and has proven repeatedly that he is a positive role model in the time I have worked with him."

"I've felt so welcomed in the lab, all the students I've worked with thus far inspire me. Dr. Zhang has created a very collaborative and inclusive environment where I feel like I can reach out to anyone for direction."

"I just wanted to let you know that I’ve accepted a full-time offer to join Edgeworth Economics... I want to thank you very much – during my interviews, my experiences with the TWL and SPEC (especially the AML project you supported me on) were crucial to helping me stand out as a candidate...The work we did together was an invaluable first foray, and I look forward to connecting with you again further along my path."

Please visit the TWL Website for the Complete List of Current and Former Undergraduate Research Assistants.

Anonymized student feedback from the TWL 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022 RA surveys (Summary table below)

UC San Diego Political Science Department                                                                            

"Professor displays exceptional knowledge of the material, he is also accessible to accommodate to students' needs for the purposes of aiding their understanding of the course. He also promotes learning in every chance he has by conducting activities and assignments that demand the student to maintain themselves attentive to the material, and at the same time learn it with flexibility and interest." - POLI 130D student

"You were my last professor in UCSD and [Chinese Politics] was one of my favorite classes. I wanted to say that I was really appreciated that you pronounced every Chinese word such as city and provinces names accurately. I did not realize that will make a difference until I noticed everyone in our class including American students learned to pronounce Chinese words correctly. I was impressed... Thanks for being such a good professor, it was a great journey! " - POLI 130D student

“Jack's guest lecture on China was one of my favorite days of class. The presentation was well- done and the material was presented in a clear, easy to understand way. I've since become much more interested in China and I hope to check out some additional readings on China later this summer. Overall, Jack was a great TA and I would recommend him to anyone.” -POLI 11D student

UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy  

“Very knowledgeable on the subject. Very fair grader. Genuinely cares about the academic success of his students...Teaches students not only how to do well on the tests but how to THINK (logically). Regularly checks in with students about how he could improve discussion period. Great TA!” - INTL 102 student 

"Jack is very knowledgeable on global policy and East Asian relations. His enthusiasm comes out in his teachings which makes the class more enjoyable overall." -INTL 102 student 

"Jack was extremely knowledgeable about the course topics. Was helpful during office hour sessions, and took the time to give a lot of feedback.” -INTL 102 student 

UC San Diego Political Science Research Apprenticeship Program, Mentor & Principal Investigator (2016–2018)  

Research Assistants: 

Yingjie Fan (UCSD '17) 

Jianbing Li (UCSD '18)

Amanda Madany (UCSD '18)

Cailen Rodriguez (UCSD '18)

Yiyi Sun (UCSD '20) 

Qitao Wu (UCSD '19)

"I just wanted to update you on my post graduation plans because I really appreciated the help that you gave me in discussing the future and different paths I could pursue. I was just accepted into Fudan University's two year Chinese Language and Culture Masters program. I am very excited for the adventures and learning to come!" - Amanda (currently pursuing her masters at Fudan University) 

"Thank you so much for providing me with this chance to work with you. It is really a pleasure working under your guidance. What I have learned, such as the coding skills of Stata, how to organize a structure of the paper, and how a professional paper is polished and produced, will definitely be precious and indispensable knowledge for my future." - Jianbing (currently pursuing his masters at the University of Chicago) 

"It was my honor to have Jack as my graduate student mentor during my time at UCSD. He is diligent, inspiring, and professional. He patiently guided me to conduct independent research projects and motivated me to keep pursuing the academic interests. Thanks for guiding me towards the right path." - Yingjie (currently pursuing her masters at Stanford University)