Curriculum
Vitae

PhD candidate in Economics at UCL working in applied microeconomics, labour, development, housing bargaining, AI and data, and platform economies.

PhD Candidate · UCL Economics
London, United Kingdom
tianxiang.zheng.22@ucl.ac.uk
Professional Summary

I am a 4th-year PhD candidate in Economics at UCL. My primary research fields are applied microeconomics, labour, and development, with secondary interests in urban, demographic, and behavioural economics. Current projects study housing bargaining, AI and data use, firm digital transformation, and gig and platform economies.

Beyond research, I teach and support reproducible empirical workflows across economics projects, with a practical focus on careful data work, transparent code, and clear research communication.

Research Interests

  • Applied microeconomics, labour, and development
  • Housing bargaining and behavioural economics
  • AI, data, text analysis, and firm technology adoption
  • Gig and platform economies

Research Practice

Builds reproducible empirical workflows with version control, transparent data pipelines, and publication-ready research documentation.

Profiles

Where to find my work

Research Papers

Working Papers

Working paper Housing bargaining

The Numbers Game: Signaling Effects of Pricing Formats in Housing Bargaining

with Haaris Mateen, Franklin Qian, and Ye Zhang

Studies how pricing formats signal information and shape bargaining outcomes in housing markets.

  • Scheduled presentation: UNSW Corporate Finance Workshop, June 2026
Education

Academic Formation

2023 – Present

PhD in Economics

University College London (UCL), London, UK

Supervisors: Prof. Gabriel Ulyssea, Prof. Stephen Hansen

2022 – 2023

MRes in Economics

University College London (UCL), London, UK

Supervisor: Prof. Alan Olivi

Dissertation: Automation, Offshoring, and the Prospects for Inclusive Growth in Emerging Economies

2020 – 2022

MSc in Economics (2-year programme)

London School of Economics (LSE), London, UK

Supervisor: Prof. Frank Cowell

Dissertation: A World without Jobs? The Joint Effect of Automation and Aging

2016 – 2020

BSc (Hons) in International Economics & Trade

University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

Supervisor: Prof. Minghai Zhou

Dissertation: Artificial Intelligence, Population Aging and Labour Market Outcomes across Income Groups

Research Experience

Evidence-Building Roles

2024 – Present

Research Assistant

Project with Lukas Freund and Vasco M. Carvalho

Research assistant supporting an empirical economics project.

2024 – Present

Research Assistant

University College London, Department of Economics

Research assistant to Prof. Áureo de Paula, Prof. Imran Rasul, and Prof. Pedro C. L. Souza.

2023 – Present

Research Assistant

University College London, Department of Economics

Research assistant to Prof. Gabriella Conti and Prof. Amalia di Girolamo.

2021 – 2022

Research Assistant

London School of Economics, STICERD

Research assistant to Prof. Frank Cowell.

2018 – 2020

Research Assistant / Coauthor

University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Department of Economics

Research with Prof. Minghai Zhou, including published work on industrial robots and factor income distribution.

Teaching Experience

Courses & Student Partnerships

2025 – 2026

Teaching Assistant

University College London, Department of Economics

  • ECON0002 Economics
2024 – 2025

Teaching Assistant

University College London, Department of Economics

  • ECON0042 Independent Research Project (Final Year) — Instructor: Ramin Nassehi
  • ECON0012 Advanced Economic Skills Lab (Final Year) — Instructor: Ramin Nassehi
2023 – 2024

Teaching Assistant

University College London, Department of Economics

2021 – 2022

Teaching Assistant (Note Transcription)

London School of Economics, Department of Economics

Awards & Scholarships

Recognition for Teaching & Research Excellence

2024

Best MSc optional modules TA

UCL

2023 – Present

Departmental Studentship

UCL

2021

Excellence in Macroeconomics Award for Outstanding Knowledge Sharing

LSE

2020

Excellence in Macroeconomics Award for Outstanding Knowledge Sharing

LSE

2020

Nottingham Advantage Award

University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

2020

Provincial Scholarship

Zhejiang Province, China

2019

Dean's Scholarship

University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

2018

Head's Scholarship

University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

2017

Provost's Scholarship

University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

Skills

Toolbox for Research & Teaching

Technical

Python R SQL Stata Git LaTeX

Economics & Analytics

Applied microeconometrics Causal inference Machine learning Text analysis Survey design Data visualisation

Languages

English (fluent) Mandarin (native)