Dr. Saijun Zhang is an Associate Professor of Social Work and PhD Program Director
Research Interests
- Behavioral health
- The wellbeing of children and families
- Computational social sciences
- Program evaluation
- Research methods
Biography
Dr. Saijun Zhang is an Associate Professor and PhD Program Director in the Department of Social Work at the University of Mississippi School of Applied Sciences. He joined the university as an Assistant Professor in 2017. Before that, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and later as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2010 to 2017, following the completion of his PhD in Social Work. Dr. Zhang’s research interests encompass behavioral health, the wellbeing of children and families, computational social science, research methods, and program evaluation. Recently, his work has focused on advancing the application of data science methods in addiction and other behavioral health research. He has published approximately 50 peer-reviewed articles and contributed to numerous technical reports, including large-scale program evaluations and policy briefs. Dr. Zhang is actively leading and collaborating on several projects, including serving as Principal Investigator (PI) for an NIH/NIDA-funded data science training program for addiction research, Co-Principal Investigator for a DOJ/BJA-funded project promoting school climate and violence prevention in Mississippi, and the recipient of a subaward from UMMC for a USDHHS-funded initiative addressing substance use disorders and intimate partner violence among mothers in Mississippi. Additionally, he leads a community engagement program supported by the Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement, aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of service needs for individuals with substance use problems in a Mississippi community.
Education
Ph.D. Social Work, University of Illinois-Urbana Campus (2010)
M.S.W Social Work, University of Illinois-Urbana Campus (2012)