Dr. Zhang is originally from P. R. China. He received his B.A. degree in sociology and M.A. degree in anthropology from Peking (Beijing) University, China in 2004 and 2007 respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in anthropology from the University of California, Irvine in 2014. He also worked as a Junior Visiting Scholar in the University of Brasilia, Brazil from 2010 to 2011.