Bio
Dr. Jun Zhang is a Lecturer in Information Systems at the University of Sheffield, where he earned both his MSc and PhD. Before joining academia, he worked in the Chinese mapping and surveying industry, focusing on Smart City and Digital Town projects. His research centers on the socio-technical aspects of information systems innovations, with a particular interest in digital labor, smart city governance, and robotic urbanism. Dr. Zhang’s work critically examines the power dynamics in these technologies, exploring issues such as digital inequality, privacy, and citizen engagement. He has published widely on topics including smart urbanism, surveillance, and the role of artificial intelligence in governance. In addition to his research, Dr. Zhang teaches courses on Information Systems Modelling, Project Management, and Organizations, and supervises PhD students working on smart city governance, digital rights, and socio-technical transitions. He is also an active member of the Information Systems Research Group and collaborates with the Urban Automation and Robotics initiative at the University of Sheffield Urban Institute.