Research Interests

My research fields are data science, network science and business analytics. I am interested in developing analytical and practical tools for understanding social and economic networks. I have been engaged in collaborative projects and consulting and training services related to data analytics with industry partners. More information of my publications can be found at my Google Scholar and ResearchGate profiles. My current projects include:

• Global Production Networks, where network science metrics and techniques such as centrality measures and community detection are applied to international trade and input-output data to gain insights into the dynamics of global value chains and the effects of trade-related policies.

• Social Media Marketing, where data science methods such as machine learning are applied to data from social media platforms such as Twitter and Weibo to understand the effectiveness of social media marketing.

Publications

• The Effects of Ageing Population on Health Expenditure and Economic Growth in China: A Bayesian-VAR Approach

  Social Science & Medicine, 265, 113513, 2020.

  Milena Lopreite, Zhen Zhu

• Ethical Implications of Network Data in Business and Management Settings

  Social Networks, forthcoming.

  Bruce Cronin, Nicola Perra, Luis Enrique Correa Rocha, Zhen Zhu, Francesca Pallotti, Sara Gorgoni, Guido Conaldi, Riccardo De Vita

• Firm Performance in Networks: The Interplay Between Firm Centrality and Corporate Group Size

  Journal of Business Research, forthcoming.

  Massimo Riccaboni, Xu Wang, Zhen Zhu

• On the Optimal Marketing Aggressiveness Level of C2C Sellers in Social Media: Evidence from China

  Omega, 85, 83-93, 2019.

  Xu Wang, Bart Baesens, Zhen Zhu

• World Input-Output Network: Applications, Implications, and Future Directions

  In: Gorgoni, S., Amighini, A., Smith, M. (eds) Networks of International Trade and Investment: Understanding Globalisation Through the Lens of Network Analysis. Vernon Press, 2018.

  Massimo Riccaboni, Zhen Zhu

  buy from Amazon

• Community Evolution in Patent Networks: Technological Change and Network Dynamics

  Applied Network Science, 3:26, 2018.

  Yuan Gao, Zhen Zhu, Raja Kali, Massimo Riccaboni

• Consistency and Trends of Technological Innovations: A Network Approach to the International Patent Classification Data

  In: Cherifi, C., Cherifi, H., Karsai, M., Musolesi, M. (eds) Complex Networks & Their Applications VI. COMPLEX NETWORKS 2016 2017. Studies in Computational Intelligence, vol 689. Springer, Cham. 2018.

  Yuan Gao, Zhen Zhu, Massimo Riccaboni

• The Similarity of Global Value Chains: A Network-Based Measure

  Network Science, 6(4), 607-632, 2018.

  Zhen Zhu, Greg Morrison, Michelangelo Puliga, Alessandro Chessa, Massimo Riccaboni

  working paper

• Random Walks on the World Input-Output Network

  Journal of Complex Networks, 6(2), 187-205, 2018.

  Carlo Piccardi, Massimo Riccaboni, Lucia Tajoli, Zhen Zhu

• The Indirect Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Trade: A Network Perspective

  The World Economy, 40(10), 2193-2225, 2017.

  Rodolfo Metulini, Massimo Riccaboni, Paolo Sgrignoli, Zhen Zhu

  working paper

• Technology Diffusion on the International Trade Network

  Journal of Public Economic Theory, 18(2), 291-312, 2016.

  Gary Ferrier, Javier Reyes, Zhen Zhu

  working paper

• World Input-Output Network

  PLOS ONE, 10(7): e0134025, 2015.

  Federica Cerina, Zhen Zhu, Alessandro Chessa, Massimo Riccaboni

  code

• Global Value Trees

  PLOS ONE, 10(5): e0126699, 2015.

  Zhen Zhu, Michelangelo Puliga, Federica Cerina, Alessandro Chessa, Massimo Riccaboni

  code

• The Rise of China in the International Trade Network: A Community Core Detection Approach

  PLOS ONE, 9(8): e105496, 2014.

  Zhen Zhu, Federica Cerina, Alessandro Chessa, Guido Caldarelli, Massimo Riccaboni

• Decision Making in a Sequential Game: The Case of Pitting in NASCAR

  Journal of Sports Economics, 15(2), 132-149, 2014.

  Alan Deck, Cary Deck, Zhen Zhu