Hao Zha's research focuses on global sustainable development and policy process theories, especially in policy design and policy change during global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Hao Zha joined the Blavatnik School of Government in October 2021 as the Team China Lead of the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). He also served as a research analyst at the UNDP and ICBC International to track global macroeconomic and vaccine policies during the pandemic. Hao Zha's recent research has appeared in Nature Human Behaviour, Environmental Science & Technology, and Chinese Public Administration Review. Originally from China, Hao Zha earned his dual Master's in Public Policy from Tsinghua University and the University of Geneva. He also holds a BEng in Measurement, Control Technology and Instruments and a BA in Economics from Tsinghua University.

Hao Zha is a Blavatnik School of Government Scholar.