Ying Zhang

Profile

Ying Zhang is a Postgraduate Resarcher at Leeds University Business School (LUBS). After working in the life science and clinical research industry in China for 12 years in customer-facing roles such as Business Development Manager and Account Manager, she completed a full-time MBA at LUBS. Following her MBA and prior to starting her PhD, she worked as a Research Assistant on multiple research projects at LUBS and Sheffield University Management School. Her extensive industry experience, combined with her research experience, gives her a unique blend of practical insight and academic rigor, enabling her to bridge theory and practice effectively.

Research interests

Her research interests lie in the area of migrant labour exploitation, migration and modern slavery. Her research project examines a continuum of labour exploitation in the UK labour-intensive industries among migrant workers with various working rights. This study is underpinned by two core concepts: vulnerability and migrant agency.

She has been actively engaged in generating research impact, viewing it as an ongoing journey. She has contributed to several outputs, including an article in The Conversation and a published submission to the UK Parliament’s call for evidence on ‘Forced Labour in UK Supply Chains’. In addition, she has presented her evolving work at conferences, such as 2025 CERIC Doctoral Conference, the Business and Modern Slavery Conference 2025, the Student Sustainability Research Conference 2026, and the 2026 LUBS Doctoral Conference.

Qualifications

• MBA, University of Leeds
• MSc, Biology, Northwest A&F University, China
• BSc, Biology, Northwest A&F University, China

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Technology, Operations and Supply Chain Analysis