Dr. Zhou received her PhD in social welfare from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011. She holds an MSW-M.Ed. joint degree from Boston University, and also an MA in biology from Boston University. Dr. Zhou has completed several research projects on Chinese nonprofit organizations working in rural education, and has studied the experiences of short-term volunteer teachers in rural China. Now, she continues her research on the emerging nonprofit sector in China, focusing on the professionalization process of grassroots organizations. She is also expanding her interest in the volunteer teachers to volunteerism among young people in both mainland China and Hong Kong. In recognition of her work, Dr. Zhou received the Emerging Scholar Award in 2010, from the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.