Professor Joy Zhang

Joy Y. Zhang is Professor of Sociology and the Founding Director of the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice (GSEJ) at the University of Kent. She is an internationally leading expert on the transnational governance of scientific uncertainty, specialising in synthetic biology and genome editing that affect both humans and the environment. Her research advances sociological theories on cosmopolitanism, decolonization, and commoning, with a primary focus on four major scientific powers: China, India, the UK, and the US. Her research agenda has been consolidated into the founding of the BioGovernance Commons initiative in 2021, the establishment of GSEJ in February 2022, and the Care-full Synthesis programme in 2025. She has authored three academic books and publishes widely in both high impact natural and social science journals. She is regularly interviewed by global media and provides policy consultation to leading institutions in Europe and Asia. As the Responsible Research and Innovation lead for ELEMENTAL, Zhang collaborates with all Work Packages to identify gaps and develop strategies to enhance public, industry, and policy understanding of engineering biology’s role in environmental remediation and the promotion of a circular economy. 

 Key areas of expertise: 

• Epistemic justice 

• Public engagement and science communication 

• Science diplomacy  

• Science policy 

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