Jia Miao is an Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Sociology at NYU Shanghai. Prior to joining NYU Shanghai, she was a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Miao’ s research centers on how urban life and neighborhoods affect health inequality, productive aging, and subjective well-being in the Asian context. Her current research examines the role of the neighborhood and its physical and social environments in shaping health and psychological well-being of older populations. She is also interested in the social consequences of homeownership in large Chinese cities. Moreover, Miao has examined the effects of neighborhood and migration experiences on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS risks in urban China. 

Miao is currently involved in several research projects, including two household panel surveys—the “Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics (HKPSSD),” “Shanghai Urban Neighborhood Survey (SUNS)”, and an NIH-funded project “Causes and Health Consequences of Synthetic Drug Use.”

Select Publications

• Miao, Jia*, and Xiaogang Wu. 2019. “Subjective well-being of Chinese elderly: A comparative analysis among urban China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.” Aging and Society. 1-22. 
• Chen, Wei, Xiaogang Wu, and Jia Miao* (corresponding author). 2019. “Housing and subjective class identification in urban China.” Chinese Sociological Review 51(3): 221–250
• Miao, Jia*, and Xiaogang Wu. 2019. “Neighborhood, social engagement, and the elderly’s depression in Shanghai.” Social Science & Medicine 229: 134–143
• Miao, Jia*. 2017. “Birth weight, family socioeconomic status and cognitive skills among Chinese adolescents.” Chinese Sociological Review 49(4): 362–381
• Miao, Jia*, and Xiaogang Wu. 2016. “Urbanization, socioeconomic status and heath disparity in China.” Health & Places 42: 87–95

Education

• PhD
  Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Research Interests

• Neighborhood Effects
• Population Aging
• Social Determinants of Health
• Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS Risks