ZHANG Chao

Professor, Department of Public Administration

Room 1117, Building A, Tongji Mansion, 1 Zhangwu Road, Shanghai 200092

021-65981707

chao_zhang@tongji.edu.cn

Chao Zhang is a full Professor at the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, and an adjunct Professor of Green Economy at the UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development. He has served as the head of the Department of Public Administration since Jan 2024. His main research areas include resource and environmental management, industrial ecology, and ecological economics. He has published over 50 papers in Nature Energy, Environmental Science & Technology, Applied Energy, Ecological Economics, Resources, Conservation & Recycling, etc..

His representative works have received awards including the Outstanding Research Achievement Award in Humanities and Social Sciences (Youth Achievement Award) from the Ministry of Education and the Best Paper Award from the Chinese Society of Industrial Ecology. He has led 2 research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and 2 young talent projects (“Shuguang Project” and “Chenguang Project”) funded by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. He also serves as an outside expert for renowned international institutions, including the World Bank, World Resources Institute, and Energy Foundation. He holds academic appointments such as Editorial Board Member of Sustainable Production and Consumption, Committee Member of the Industrial Ecology Professional Committee under the Ecological Society of China, and Committee Member of the Resource Flow and Management Professional Committee under the Chinese Society of Natural Resources.

Research interests:

• Low-Carbon Energy Transition and Climate Risks
  Pathways for low-carbon energy transition; Climate vulnerability and adaptation of low-carbon power systems; Sustainable transition of energy-water nexus
• Material Flow Analysis and Resource Efficiency Assessment
  Resource efficiency assessment based on dynamic material cycle analysis; Connections between economic development and socioeconomic metabolism
• Pro-Environmental Behaviors
  Analysis of pro-environmental behaviors based on big data; Digital interventions on pro-environmental behaviors

Selected publications:

1. Zhang, C.*, Zhong, L., Wang, J., Decoupling between water use and thermoelectric power generation growth in China. Nature Energy, 2018, 3: 792-799.
2. Zhang, C.*, Zhong, L., Fu, X., Wang, J., Wu, Z. Revealing water stress by the thermal power industry in China based on a high spatial resolution water withdrawal and consumption inventory. Environmental Science & Technology. 2016, 50: 1642-1652.
3. Zhang, C., Yang, J.*, Urpelainen, J., Chitkara, P., Zhang, J., Wang, J. Thermoelectric Power Generation and Water Stress in India: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis. Environmental Science & Technology, 2021, 55(8): 4314-4323.
4. Zhang, C.*, Chen, W-Q., Ruth, M., Measuring material efficiency: A review of the historical evolution of indicators, methodologies and findings. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2018, 132: 79-92.
5. Zhang, C.*, Xie, L., Qiu, Y., Wang, S. Learning-by-Manufacturing and Learning-by-Operating mechanisms drive energy conservation and emission reduction in China’s coal power industry, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2022, 186: 106532.
6. Zhang, C., He, G.*, Johnston, J., Zhong, L., Long-term transition of China’s power sector under carbon neutrality target and water withdrawal constraint. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021, 329: 129765.
7. Li, X., Zhang, C.*, Yang, X., Xia, Z., Cao, Z.*, Wang, P., Wang, H., Wang, T., Liu, G., Chen, W-Q., Hybrid multi-stage steel footprinting unveils a more interdependent material foundation of the global economy. Ecological Economics, 2025, 227: 108408.
8. Yang, X., Zhang, C.*, Li, X., Cao, Z.*, Wang, P., Wang, H., Liu, G., Xia, Z., Zhu, D., Chen, W-Q.*, Multinational dynamic steel cycle analysis reveals sequential decoupling between material use and economic growth. Ecological Economics, 2024, 217: 108092.
9. Zhang, S., Xia, Z., Zhang, C.*, Tian, X.*, Xie, J. Green illusions in self-reporting? Reassessing the intention-behavior gap in waste recycling behaviors. Waste Management, 2023, 166: 171-180.
10. Xia, Z., Gu, Y., Li, J., Xie, J., Liu, F., Wen, X., Tian, X., Zhang, C.*, Do behavioural interventions enhance waste recycling practices? Evidence from an extended meta-analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023, 385: 135695.

Google Scholar Citations:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=hzc7u0kAAAAJ&hl=zh-CN