Yan Zhang obtained his PhD in criminology from the Australian National University. His research focuses on restorative justice, qualitative research, regulation and governance, and environmental justice. His publications appear in leading criminology and criminal justice journals. In addition, Dr. Zhang has served as the managing editor of the Asian Journal of Criminology since 2012 and has been elected an executive board member of the Asian Criminological Society (2022–2027).

As Deputy Director of the Balzan Project at RegNet, Dr. Yan Zhang leads China-focused restorative justice initiatives. He is completing a book, China: A Powerhouse and Resistor of Restorative Justice, based on his ANU PhD supervised by John Braithwaite, analysing China’s complex engagement with restorative justice. In addition, Dr. Zhang co-leads a nationwide project on Restorative Environmental Justice in China with Dr. Jin Sun of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, mentoring three PhD students. This project investigates environmental justice in the North-East urban manufacturing hinterland near Shanghai and Indigenous restorative practices in the rural South-West. The dual focus on urban industrial zones and rural Indigenous practices in the environmental justice project could provide a rich comparative analysis, potentially bridging modern and traditional approaches to justice.

Most recent publications

Zhang, Y. (forthcoming). Dancing with Restorative Justice: Legal Professionals and Their Motivational Postures. Regulation & Governance

Sun, J., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Restorative environmental governance in China: long-term compliance for conditional non-prosecution in campaign-style criminalization enforcement. Journal of Chinese Governance, 1-29.

Zhang, Y. (2025). Restorative Justice in the Mountain: An Indigenous Lens into “De Gu” Mediation in Southwest China. Asian Journal of Criminology, 20(2), 191-213.

Zhang, Y. (2025). Juvenile Justice in China: A Possible Responsive Pyramid? In Y. Zhuo & H. Zhong (Eds.), Juvenile Delinquency, Victimization, and Justice in Chinese Societies (pp. 159–176). Routledge.

Li, E., Yuan, X., & Zhang, Y. (eds.) (2024). Criminal Case Disposition through Plea: Conception, Operation and Contradiction in Greater China. Palgrave Macmillan

Grants and prizes 2023-25

2024-2025 Yan Zhang (Co-PI) and Shihya Kuo, “Restorative Justice in Chinese Societies: A Theoretical and Empirical Study,” Multiple Year Research Grants supported by the University of Macau (MOP196,800).

2023-2024 Zhe Ma, Joao Ilhao Moreira and Yan Zhang (Co-I), “Criminal Liability of Arbitrators: Law and Practice in China,” supported by the Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management, University of Macau (MOP100,000).