I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto Scarborough, working with Prof. Patricia Romero-Lankao on the Canadian Excellence in Research Chair project for the Network for Equity in Sustainability Transitions (CERC NEST). My current research centers on the quantitative assessment of climate vulnerability, energy dynamics, and equity in sustainable transitions, using a comparative analysis across multiple cities.
Before joining the University of Toronto, I earned my Doctoral Degree in Geography at McGill University, where I was supervised by Prof.
Brian E Robinson and Prof. Christopher Barrington-Leigh. My doctoral dissertation examined the well-being impacts of the “Clean Heating Program” in rural North China. Prior to my doctoral studies, I completed my Master’s degree at the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, under the supervision of Prof. Shiqiu Zhang and Prof. Hancheng Dai.
My research interests lie in Environmental Economics, Well-being, and Policy Evaluation, with a particular focus on the equity impacts of environmental and energy policies. My work has been published in international journals in various fields, including energy, environment, transportation, and health.
You can find the latest version of my CV or 中文简历 (April 2025).
🔥 News
- 2025.03: I join the Department of Sociology, University of Toronto Scarborough as the Postdoctoral Fellow.
- 2025.02: 🎉 I finished my PhD oral defense. Now I am Dr. Zhang.
📝 Publications

Investigating Indoor VOC Complexities in Rural Beijing: Environmental, Resident Behavioral, and Household Energy-Use Paradigms \
Jian Ma, Xiaojing Zhu, Xiaoying Li, et al.
Building and Environment, 2025
Abstract
- Assessment of Indoor VOC Exposure and Contributing Factors in North China Rural Households

Unacknowledged health costs of subway transportation: commuting time dominant environmental inequality in PM2.5 exposure
Huan Lin, Xiang Zhang, Yuhan Hu, Shiqiu Zhang
Journal of Transport & Health, 2024
Abstract
- Inequities in Health Impacts of Air Pollution Exposure During Subway Commuting in Megacities

Rural Household Energy Transition in China: Trends and Challenges
Xiang Zhang, Chris Barrington-Leigh, Brian E Robinson
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2024
- Temporal Trends and Spatial Disparities in Rural Household Energy Transition in China

Effects of indoor and outdoor temperatures on blood pressure and central hemodynamics in a wintertime longitudinal study of Chinese adults
Talia J Sternbach, Sam Harper, Xiaoying Li, et al.
Journal of Hypertension, 2022
- Winter Home Heating and Cardiovascular Health Risks in Rural Elderly Populations in China

Socioeconomic and demographic associations with wintertime air pollution exposures at household, community, and district scales in rural Beijing, China
Xiaoying Li, Jill Baumgartner, Christopher Barrington-Leigh, et al.
Environmental Science & Technology, 2022
- Wealthier rural households used more coal, while less wealthy households used more biomass, but overall exposures were similar across socioeconomic groups

Field measurements of indoor and community air quality in rural Beijing before, during, and after the COVID‐19 lockdown
Xiaoying Li, Jill Baumgartner, Sam Harper, et al.
Indoor Air, 2022
- Impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on rural households indoor air quality

Health and economic benefits of cleaner residential heating in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region in China
Xiang Zhang, Yana Jin, Hancheng Dai, Yang Xie, Shiqiu Zhang
Energy Policy, 2019
- 🔥 ESI 1% Highly Cited Paper in May 2023.
- Environment, health and economic benefits of the “Clean Heating Policy” in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region
🖊️ Working Papers

Expenditure versus comfort: distributional impacts on household space heating energy transition program in rural China
Xiang Zhang, Chris Barrington-Leigh, Brian Robinson, et al.
In preparation, 2025
- Impacts of energy transition on rural household’s energy poverty

Household Energy Transition and Subjective Well-being: A Difference-in-Difference Estimate of Outcomes in Rural North China
Xiang Zhang, Chris Barrington-Leigh, Brian Robinson, et al.
In preparation, 2025
- How do households experience the impact of clean heating on their quality of life

Multi-Year Evaluation of a Clean Heating Policy on Residents’ Air Pollution Exposures and Energy Trade-offs in Beijing, China
Xiaoying Li, Collin Brehmer, Kennedy Hirst, et al.
Under review, 2025
- A comprehensive evaluation of the ``Clean Heating Policy” on air quality

Effects of outdoor and household air pollution on hand grip strength in a longitudinal study of predominantly rural Beijing adults
Wenlu Yuan, Xiaoying Li, Collin Brehmer, et al.
Under review, 2025
- Air pollution and grip strength among rural adults: A health status indicator

China’s Clean Heating Policy and Effects on Blood Pressure
Talia Sternbach, et al.
In preparation, 2025
- Treatment effects of the “Clean Heating Policy” on rural adult’s blood pressure

Effects of China’s Clean Heating Policy on respiratory symptoms and airway inflammation in adults: a quasi-experimental study in rural Beijing
Kaibing Xue, et al.
In preparation, 2025
- Treatment effects of the “Clean Heating Policy” on rural adult’s respiratory health

Impacts of a clean heating program on heating stove usage in Northern China
Brehmer C, Sternbach T, Enkhuun Byambadorj, et al.
In preparation, 2025
- A fast and low-cost monitoring approach for household stove use behavior
🙌 Services
Journal Reviewers
Nature Sustainability Environmental Research Letters Environmental Research Communications Annals of the American Association of Geographers Economic Analysis and Policy Environmental Research: Health Energy Policy Energy Efficiency
👨🏻💻 Education
-
Ph.D. in Geography
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
(September 2018 – February 2025) -
Master’s in Environmental Economics
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
(September 2015 – July 2018) -
Bachelor’s in Economics and Management of Agriculture and Forestry
School of Economics & Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
(September 2011 – July 2015)
🧑🏻🏫 Teaching
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Teaching Assistant
- 2023: GEOG 409 Geographies of Developing Asia (Fall, Instructor: Prof. Sarah Turner)
- 2022: GEOG 408 Geography of Development (Fall, Instructor: Prof. Jon Unruh)
- 2021: GEOG 360 Analyzing Sustainability (Winter, Instructor: Prof. Brian Robinson)
- 2020: GEOG 408 Geography of Development (Fall, Instructor: Prof. Jon Unruh)
- 2019: GEOG 351 Quantitative Methods (Winter, Instructor: Professor Sebastien Breau)
- 2018: GEOG 408 Geography of Development (Fall, Instructor: Prof. Jon Unruh)
Peking University, Beijing, China
Teaching Assistant
- 2017: China in Transition, Graduate of Yenching Academy (Spring, Instructor: Professor Shiqiu Zhang)
- 2017: Environmental Management Policy and Practice (Short course, Dr. Eugene Y. Leong)
- 2015~2017: Environmental Economics, graduate level (Fall, Instructor: Professor Shiqiu Zhang)
- 2016~2017: Environmental Management, undergraduate level (Spring, Instructor: Professor Shiqiu Zhang)