SCCEI Seminar Series (Spring 2027)

Friday, March 12, 2027 | 12:00 pm -1:20 pm Pacific Time
Goldman Room E409, Encina Hall, 616 Jane Stanford Way

About the Speaker 
 

Han Zhang is a political sociologist and computational social scientist. His research examines how digital surveillance technologies—such as street cameras, facial recognition, and algorithmic systems—strengthen state capacity and alter state–society relations. In particular, he focuses on how government surveillance influences collective action and social movements, bureaucratic behavior, and citizens’ perceptions of state control.

Methodologically, he uses computer vision and text analysis to construct large-scale datasets on surveillance infrastructure and protest events from multimodal sources, including street-view imagery and social media content. He then applies causal inference—using both observational identification strategies and randomized experiments—to analyze these data.

Questions? Contact Xinmin Zhao at xinminzhao@stanford.edu