Zed Zhipeng Gao
Assistant Professor
- Department: Psychology, Health and Gender

Professor Zed Zhipeng Gao听joined the American University of Paris in 2021. Gao has an听interdisciplinary background: he holds a Ph.D. in the historical, theoretical, and critical studies of psychology and has conducted postdoctoral research in sociology and anthropology.
Gao鈥檚 research falls into two main clusters. The first examines the history of psychology under Chinese communism, focusing on the normative function of psychological science in shaping the population toward state objectives. The second investigates the impact of global geopolitics on the identities of the Chinese diaspora in racial, national, and cultural terms. More recently, he has turned toward theoretical research that draws on poststructuralism to bring critical inquiry to existing theoretical and methodological frameworks.
Gao has published more than twenty journal articles and book chapters. His work has appeared in venues including听Review of General Psychology,听Journal of Humanistic Psychology,听Social Anthropology,听Narrative Inquiry,听History of Psychology, and听History of Science. He has (co-)edited special issues of听Theory & Psychology听(SAGE) and听Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science听(Springer), as well as a book volume on听Cultural Politics in Indigenous Psychology听(Palgrave). A member of the editorial board of听Theory & Psychology, Gao is also a co-organizer of the 2025听Three Societies Meeting听(ESHHS, Cheiron, and SHP) in Paris. Gao has received several awards in international psychology, the history of psychology, theoretical psychology, and qualitative inquiry.
Before joining 黑料正能量, Gao taught in Toronto and Vancouver, where he enjoyed working with students from diverse backgrounds. At 黑料正能量, he uses a听roundtable seminar format听to foster intellectual dialogue within a supportive classroom environment.听
Education/Degrees
- Postdoc in Sociology and Anthropology, Simon Fraser University & The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- PhD in Psychology, York University, Canada
- MA in Psychology, York University, Canada
Publications
EDITED BOOK VOLUME
- Gao, Z. & Medved, M. (Eds.) (2025).听,听Palgrave Macmillan.
EDITED JOURNAL SPECIAL ISSUES
- Gao, Z. & Teo, T. (Eds.) (2023). Special Issue 鈥溾,听Theory & Psychology, 33(2), Sage.
- Gao, Z. (Ed.) (2022). Special Issue 鈥溾,听Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 56(2), Springer.听
REPRESENTATIVE REFEREED听ARTICLES听
- Gao, Z. (2023). . In Z. Gao & T. Teo (Eds.) special issue 鈥淭heorizing the Psychology of Deglobalization鈥,听Theory & Psychology, 33(2), 266-283.听
- Gao, Z. (2021). . In Z. Morrill, L. Hoffman & M. Yang (Eds.) special issue 鈥淐OVID-19 Part II鈥.听Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(2), 198-218.
- Gao, Z. (2020). . In W. Pickren & T. Teo (Eds.) special issue 鈥淩e-envisioning general psychology鈥.听Review of General Psychology, 24(1), 43-59.
- Gao, Z. (2019). . In H. Y. Wu (Ed.) special issue 鈥淗istory of psychology and psychiatry in the global world鈥.听History of Psychology, 22(4), 309-327.
- Gao, Z. & Bischoping, K. (2019). . In M. Krings, C. Kilian & J. Beek (Eds.) special issue 鈥淎n anthropology of defrauding and faking鈥.听Social Anthropology, 27(3), 438-454.
- Gao, Z. (2015). . In H. Chiang (Ed.), special issue 鈥淥rdering the social: History of the human sciences in modern China鈥.听History of Science, 53(1), 57-85.
See my听听for a complete list of publications.听
Awards, Fellowships and Grants
- Distinguished Early Career Contributions in Qualitative Inquiry Award, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods, Division 5 of the American Psychological Association, 2022
- Early Career Award, Society for the History of Psychology, Division 26 of the American Psychological Association, 2022
- Outstanding Early Career Psychologist Award (outside the US), International Psychology, Division 52 of American Psychological Association, 2020
- Young Scholar Award, Cheiron: The International Society for the History of Behavioral and Social Sciences, 2019
- Certificate of Academic Excellence, Canadian Psychological Association, 2019
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, 鈥淚nter-Cultural Experience of Chinese Immigrants in Canada鈥 (PI), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada: $90,000,听2019-2021听听听听听听