Dr Yi Zhao is a Lecturer (Research Intensive) and Research Fellow at The Centre for Social Impact at UNSW Sydney (CSI UNSW). 

Prior to this, he served as the Associate Director of Research at the Civic Life of Cities Lab within Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, leading the lab’s data integration projects examining the dynamics and vitality of global social sectors.

Yi’s research draws on organisation and sociological theories to explore how business activities and organisational innovations address societal challenges and create solutions for positive social change. Situated in the intersection of business and society, his primary areas of interest include impact investing, entrepreneurship, nonprofits, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility. He is experienced in quantitative research design and methodology and holds the Stanford Data Science Proficiency Certificate. 

His research has been published in journals such as Business Strategy and the Environment, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and Global Perspectives. His research work has been recognised with several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Summer Institute on Organizational Effectiveness fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. His dissertation on the role of local communities in the impact investing market received the 2022 Best Dissertation Award from the Academy of Management Public and Nonprofit Division. 

Yi has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University. Prior to his academic career, he was a fellow at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. He has worked as a media and policy analyst for the Delegation of the European Union to China and the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at Cornell University.