Open to research & analyst opportunities
Jiakang Zhang · Research & data analyst
Clear evidence.
For decisions
that affect lives.
I'm Jiakang Zhang, a research and data analyst focused on housing, health, and public services. I bring fragmented data together, test what it can tell us, and turn the findings into clear reports for people making decisions.
Based in Kitchener, Ontario · MA Sociology, University of Guelph
When housing costs
meet mental health.
The first pattern is only the starting point.
| Shelter cost / income | Fair / poor mental health |
|---|---|
| Under 30% | 23.4%21.6–25.1% interval |
| 30–50% | 28.2%24.8–31.7% interval |
| 50–100% | 34.4%28.1–40.7% interval |
| Over 100% | 37.0%27.8–46.2% interval |
Before adjustment, poorer mental health becomes more common as housing takes a larger share of income. The full study asks what changes when income is accounted for.
See what the model addsSource: Canadian Housing Survey 2022 · n = 14,110
Descriptive estimates; thin lines show 95% confidence intervals.
Start with your team's question.
Market data, development records, and neighbourhood analysis.
See relevant work ↗ Health & social researchWho faces greater risk, and what is associated with it?Survey analysis, population trends, and careful comparisons.
See relevant work ↗ Programs & public servicesWhat changed, and how should we interpret it?Administrative data, before-and-after analysis, and clear limitations.
See relevant work ↗The work behind the promise.
These independent studies show how I work: define the question, build the dataset, test the explanation, and communicate what the evidence supports.
Adjusted odds of fair-or-poor mental health
among renters who missed a payment
When paying rent becomes a health concern
National survey data, adjusted comparisons, and an important distinction between a high bill and a missed payment.
Survey-weighted models separate the raw housing-cost pattern from the adjusted association.
Median days to permit issue · 2001–2025
What happens between a permit and a home?
Tracing Toronto housing supply through permit records, construction data, and ownership statistics.
Permit, construction, and ownership data are connected while keeping their different definitions visible.
evaluated buildings report
no air conditioning
What do building inspections actually tell us?
Connecting apartment evaluations with neighbourhood incomes, while separating inspection scores from heat exposure.
Building evaluations become neighbourhood comparisons and an interactive lookup.
A citywide question.
A dataset built
from the ground up.
How does Airbnb activity relate to Toronto asking rents, and how much of the market sits within the city's short-term rental rules?
Explore the thesis ↗6,165Toronto rental listings analyzed
10 sources brought into one research dataset
8 chapters from the question to the policy implications
Original data construction, spatial analysis, and instrumental-variable modelling. The assumptions and limitations sit alongside the results.
Go straight to the methods ↗I started with people.
Then followed the data.
My first research role was at a community mental-health nonprofit in Gansu, China. Today, my work focuses on housing and the conditions that shape people's lives.
At the University of Guelph, I built an original dataset for my MA thesis and now work on the Housing Experience Project. Across these settings, I care about making analysis understandable to the people planning services.
Build a reliable dataset. Bring sources together, check definitions, and document the decisions.
Choose a defensible comparison. Match the model to the question and test the assumptions.
Make the result useful. Explain what changed, what remains uncertain, and what to investigate next.
Where I've worked
-
Sep 2025 – Present
Research Data Analyst
University of Guelph · Housing Experience ProjectLead the short-term-rental sub-project end to end: data collection and preparation, statistical analysis in Stata, spatial visualization in QGIS/ArcGIS/Tableau, and plain-language briefing notes for cross-functional teams.
-
Sep 2023 – Apr 2026
Graduate Researcher, MA Thesis
University of Guelph · MA SociologyDesigned and delivered a full quantitative study of Airbnb's impact on Toronto rents: original 10-source dataset, custom accessibility measures, instrumental-variable modeling, and an assessment of the coverage of short-term rental rules.
-
Sep 2025 – Dec 2025
Research Assistant
University of Guelph · Gentrification in TorontoCleaned and integrated 20 years of census data for spatial analysis; measured how socio-economic conditions shift with distance from key sites (GIS ring buffers); validated and presented findings.
View teaching, community research, and earlier roles
-
Sep 2023 – May 2026
Teaching Assistant
University of GuelphExplained complex concepts to students, gave constructive feedback, and managed high-volume grading under strict deadlines.
-
Sep 2022 – Present
Freelance Project Manager & Translator (Chinese–English)
IndependentCoordinate daily with three international companies, ensuring accurate translation and knowledge transfer across concurrent projects.
-
Jun 2021 – May 2023
Research Analyst
Gansu Huiling Social Work Service Center · Gansu, ChinaTwo years of statistics at a community nonprofit serving people living with mental illness: researched the social and psychological factors affecting clients, handled sensitive personal information under strict confidentiality protocols, led community engagement and outreach, and ran budget analysis to support program planning.
-
2019 – 2021
Earlier roles: field research lead, survey analyst, social work intern
ChinaLed qualitative fieldwork on rural poverty (published in a regional journal), supported survey research on education equity, and provided in-residence support for people with developmental disabilities.
Skills & tools
Analysis & statistics
Software
Data sources
Communication
Background
MA Sociology (Thesis-based)
University of Guelph · 2023 – 2026Thesis: quantitative analysis of Airbnb's impact on long-term rents in Toronto. Independent reading course in applied housing economics.
BA Sociology
Northwest Minzu University, China · 2017 – 2021Graduated as valedictorian.
Additional training
2020 – 2026Python Programming (University of Helsinki, online) · Social Surveys Practices (Peking University Summer School).
Methodological Excellence Award, SOAN ENGAGE Conference (April 2026)
Awarded for the thesis research presented on this site:
"Original dataset creation, complex data analysis methods, and clear communication of findings."
Hiring an analyst
for your team?
Send me the role or research question you have in mind. I'm interested in analyst opportunities where careful research can support housing, health, and public-service decisions.
jiakangz.0907@gmail.com · 647-740-9412