Starting in Fall 2026, I will be recruiting my first Ph.D. student. I welcome students from diverse backgrounds who are interested in my fields of research. Please contact me by email at least three months prior to the application deadline and be prepared to undergo a relevant assessment. Below are some basic expectations for prospective students:
- Applicants should have a strong academic ambition, a high level of self-motivation and resilience, and a clear aspiration to pursue a faculty position in a university after completing their Ph.D. studies.
- For my first Ph.D. student, I am committed to providing the best possible academic resources and support. Therefore, I expect that you will not abandon an academic path upon graduation. Publishing research is a long and often challenging journey, filled with setbacks and rejections. I hope you will remain resilient and not be easily discouraged.
- You should be proficient in English. I am not concerned with your CET, IELTS, or TOEFL scores, but you must not shy away from extensive reading and writing in English.
- Most of my publications are in English, and staying at the forefront of academic research requires extensive reading of English-language literature. A common challenge among students is resistance to reading and writing in English, but I sincerely hope this will not be the case for you.
- During your Ph.D. studies, I will also support you in attending major international academic conferences to help broaden your global perspective. Therefore, I expect you to have a competent level of English listening and speaking skills.
- A strong foundation in mathematics is essential. You should have performed well in fundamental courses such as Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Probability and Statistics. Additional coursework in more advanced subjects—such as Stochastic Processes, Differential Equations, Real Analysis, or Functional Analysis—will be considered a significant advantage.
- Since my research is primarily theory-driven and involves substantial mathematical derivations, a solid foundation in mathematics is essential. If you have also taken some advanced mathematics courses, that would be excellent—we will then be able to explore more complex models together.
- You should have a certain level of research experience, including having independently completed at least one properly structured academic paper and possessing a clear understanding of how such papers are written. Publication is not required—submissions to low-quality journals may even count against you.
- Research experience also includes some essential technical skills: at a minimum, you should be able to handle data using STATA. Additional skills such as programming in MATLAB, writing academic papers in LaTeX, and having closely studied an original English-language monograph in a specific field are considered strong advantages.
For students entering the Ph.D. program directly from a bachelor’s degree (straight-through Ph.D. track) or through a combined master’s–Ph.D. program (直博或硕博连读), you must meet at least the first three requirements listed above, as well as the STATA proficiency requirement outlined in the fourth point. For students applying to the regular Ph.D. track with a master’s degree (普博), you are expected to meet all four of the above requirements and, in addition, fulfill the following:
- My primary research interests lie in theoretical modeling in macroeconomics and economic growth. In the coming years, I will focus on topics related to the digital economy and artificial intelligence, so I hope you share a genuine interest in this area.
- That said, if you have already developed a solid foundation in other theoretical fields—such as mechanism design or asset pricing theory—that will be a strong plus. In that case, we will be research collaborators, and I will fully support your academic development.
- However, if your primary interest is in empirical research, I may not be the right advisor for you. In such cases, I recommend reaching out to other faculty members whose expertise aligns more closely with your goals.
- If you have not yet settled on a specific research interest but possess a strong mathematical foundation and have studied Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, and Advanced Econometrics seriously, you are still very welcome to reach out to me in advance.
- Before formally applying, however, I expect you to carefully read and work through the derivations—especially Chapters 12 to 15—of Introduction to Modern Economic Growth by Daron Acemoglu (Princeton University Press). In addition, please familiarize yourself with several of my representative publications as well as key papers in the field of data factor.
ZHANG Longtian 