Academy Fellow

Professor Mark Wang is a human geographer whose research examines urbanisation, migration, and environmental change in China. He has studied post-socialist transition, land acquisition, and water governance, including the South-to-North Water Diversion. His work addresses the interactions between economic growth, sustainability, and social wellbeing. More recently, his research has focused on Global China and China’s engagement with the Global South, particularly through global governance networks and international development cooperation. He examines China’s overseas investment, infrastructure projects, and climate initiatives, and how these shape development pathways and governance practices in partner countries.

1985-1988: Research Associate, Northeast Institute of Geography, Agroecology, CAS, China;

1996-2000: Lecturer, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, the University of Melbourne

2001-2007: Senior Lecturer, School of Social and Environmental Enquiry, the University of Melbourne

2008-12: Associate Professor, Department of Resource Management and Geography, Melbourne School of Land and Environment, the University of Melbourne

2013-present: Professor, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, the University of Melbourne

2020-2026: Director, Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, the University of Melbourne

2018 Australia-International Medal - Institute of Australian Geographers Incorporated

Wang M; Song Y & Li C 2019 “Land Acquisition Induced Conflicts in Suburban China: A Procedural Perspective”, Geographical Research, 57(3): 249-378. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12343

Wang M & Li C 2019 “An institutional analysis of China’s South-to-North water diversion” Thesis 11, https://doi.org/10.1177/0725513618822419

Wang M & Wu J P 2010 “Migrant Workers in the Urban Labour Market of Shenzhen, China”, Environment and Planning A, 42(6):1457-1475

Wang M; Webber M; Finlayson B and Barnett J 2008, “Rural Industries and Water Pollution in China, Journal of Environmental Management (86):648-659

Rogers S & Wang M 2020 Producing a Chinese hydrosocial territory: A river of clean water flows north from Danjiangkou, Environment & Planning C: Politics & Space,38(7-8): 1308-1327