Zhang Danni

Biography

Danni Zhang is a joint PhD researcher at Northeastern University London and the University of Kent, affiliated with the Institute of Cyber Security for Society (iCSS). Her research focuses on global digital governance, particularly the regulatory and normative roles of the European Union and China in digital trade, data governance, and AI governance. She has published in Politics and Governance and the Asian Review of Political Economy, and serves as a peer reviewer for several international peer-reviewed journals, including SSCI Q1 venues.

Danni is currently the Assistant Coordinator of the UACES Research Network DIGITAL-EU, where she supports research activities on Europe’s evolving role in the digital sphere. She also holds Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

Qualifications

AFHEA – Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2025)
MA in International Relations, University of York, UK (2021)
BA in Business Management, Middlesex University (2020)

Research

Danni’s research examines how major digital powers—especially the EU and China—shape the global digital order through their regulatory frameworks and norm-setting strategies. Her work explores digital trade, data governance, and AI governance using norm diffusion theory and qualitative methods.

She has presented her research at leading international conferences, including the China Internet Research Conference (CIRC), the UACES Annual Conference, and the ABCP Annual Conference.

Articles

Zhang, Danni. (2025). The EU’s Digital Footprint: Shaping Data Governance in Japan and Singapore. Politics and Governance, 13. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.10422

Zhang, Danni. (2025). Understanding the evolution of China’s approach to digital trade: interests, ideas, and institutions. Asian Review of Political Economy, 3. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44216-024-00026-4