People of PCHES: Jiameng Zheng

Jiameng Zheng is a Ph.D. candidate at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). Her research focuses on using applied microeconomic theory, applied econometrics, and policy analysis to study the economics of natural resource challenges and policy, with a focus on issues related to water use and treatment. Specifically, her current research projects examine the short-run and long-run impacts of lead from drinking water, the benefits of cleaner surface water, and the regulatory tools aimed at improving water conditions in developing countries. She is also interested in water use policy and its interaction with weather variability.

Jiameng is currently working as a graduate research assistant to estimate the agricultural and urban sector water demand in the western states and investigate the welfare gains from water rights trading under different weather scenarios.

Before starting her Ph.D., Jiameng received her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maryland at College Park. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wuhan University in China. Starting in Fall 2021, Jiameng is going to join the Center for Business and Public Policy (CBPP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a postdoc researcher.

If she is not working, Jiameng enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with family.