Professional Bio

Zhifan (Lesley) Zhang is a first-year graduate student specializing in Comparative Politics and Political Methodology. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Government and Mathematics from Franklin & Marshall College and a Master’s degree in Asian Studies from George Washington University. Zhang’s research interests focus on social movements and political communication within authoritarian regimes. She is particularly intrigued by how citizens in these countries develop strategies for civic engagement in the face of government control, and how governments, in turn, adapt their strategies to manage such engagement. In her free time, Zhang enjoys cooking, watching anime, and playing digital games. A fun fact about her is that she has published two books on Cantonese pop music