August 30, 2024 | News
Congratulations Xinyi Zhao
On August 28, 2024 Xinyi Zhao successfully defended her dissertation on "Gender inequality in academia: Opportunities and Challenges in the Era of Globalization and Digitalization" at the University of Oxford, passing the viva without any corrections.

Xinyi Zhao with her examiners Prof. David Garcia from the University of Konstanz (left) and Francesco Rampazzo (University of Oxford). © private
Xinyi's thesis paints a broader picture of the gendered structures in contemporary academic environments. Globalization and digitalization have profoundly changed the process of knowledge production and transmission, but they have not fundamentally altered the gendered patterns in the scientific workforce and academia, and have even exacerbated some of the persistent gender inequalities, as advanced tools and opportunities are still more likely to be used by men. Parenthood is still a significant factor generating gender inequalities in academic careers and trajectories, as evidenced by persistent and longer-term motherhood penalties. "Nevertheless, this work has uncovered some promising signals for female researchers and provided advice on how to mitigate the gender gap in academia. Through more concrete actions, from individuals to professional organizations to governments, we believe that the glass ceiling in academia can be shattered and the leaky pipeline can be repaired," says Xinyi.
"Her dissertation fundamentally advances our understanding of gender inequality in the context of scientific production as it relates to demographic processes, including migration and family formation. Xinyi has skillfully conducted interdisciplinary research that leverages her expertise in demographic processes and her data science skills to derive new and relevant insights from large, complex, and heterogeneous data sets," said Emilio Zagheni, Director of the MPIDR.
Xinyi was part of the International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS), a doctoral program that combines demography, epidemiology and data science. Her IMPRS-PHDS Thesis Advisory Committee included Emilio Zagheni (MPIDR), Ridhi Kashyap (University of Oxford), and Aliakbar Akbaritabar (MPIDR).
Related Publications
Zhao, X., Akbaritabar, A., Kashyap, R., and Zagheni, E.:
“Gender differences in online visibility of early career researchers” (under review)
- Awarded by 3rd place Best Poster Award and audience favorite award at Anniversary Student Poster Competition of Sociology department, University of Oxford
Zhao, X., Derrick, G., Larivière, V., and Sugimoto, C. R.:
“Gender Differences in the Conflict between the Beginning of an Academic Career and Parenthood. (under review)
- Awarded by Best Poster Award at the Annual academy of International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science
Zhao, X.; Akbaritabar, A.; Kashyap, R.; Zagheni, E.:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 120:10, e2214664120–e2214664120. (2023)

Zhao, X.; Aref, S.; Zagheni, E.; Stecklov, G.:
Scientometrics 127:12, 7707–7729. (2022)

Zhao, X.; Aref, S.; Zagheni, E.; Stecklov, G.:
In: 18th International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics ISSI 2021: 12-15 July 2021, KU Leuven, Belgium; proceedings, 1369–1380. Leuven: ISSI. (2021)


Xinyi Zhao and her supervisor Ridhi Kashyap (University of Oxford). © private