Jinghui (Elaine) Zhang is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. She received her doctorate in psychology from Claremont Graduate University and her bachelor's degree from Smith College.
She is a mixed-methods researcher with strong survey and experimental design, predictive modeling, natural language processing, and interviewing skills. Her research broadly focuses on identity, attitude, and social influence in the context of social, health, and developmental psychology. Her most recent work examined how people with different cultural backgrounds and minority groups such as immigrants and refugees are treated in society, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, she started a mental health nonprofit, which provided free online peer mental health support for Mandarin speakers who have difficulties seeking and adhering to professional mental health support.
Elaine is also a professional artist by training and publication. During her free time, she loves reading, traveling, being outdoors, practicing yoga, and playing various sports.