Although Dr. Zhang grew up in central China, he often refers to the area as the Kansas of China. He earned both his Bachelor of Science in 1997 and Master of Science in 2000 from Beijing University. Subsequently, Dr. Zhang went on to earn his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science from Texas A&M University in 2006. He serves as a research fellow of the Next Generation of Hazards and Disasters Researchers Program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). In addition, he is also a research fellow of the Peking University (China)-Lincoln Institute of Land Policy (U.S.) Center for Land Use Policy and Urban Development and of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center.