About Me#

My name is Zékai (Zachary) Lu. You can call me Zachary for short. I am a PhD student in Sociology at McGill University (fast-tracking from MA program since 2024), currently visiting Beijing Normal University (2026). My academic journey began with a Bachelor of Laws in Sociology from Guangzhou University (2019-2023), where I completed an awarded thesis. My Supervisor is Prof. Eran Shor.

Research Areas#

Sociology#

  • Sociology of Health & Medicine: Health Inequality, Indigenous Peoples’ Health
  • Computational & Digital Sociology: Problematic Social Media Use, Infodemiology
  • Sociology of Sexuality: Asexuality, Sexual Attitudes
  • Criminology & Deviance: Substance Use, Drug Policy

Psychology#

  • Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) & Life Course Trauma
  • Mental Health & Psychopathology
  • Addictive Behaviors

Methodology & Technical Skills#

Quantitative Methods:

  • Multilevel Modeling
  • Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
  • Latent Class/Profile Analysis (LCA/LPA)
  • Machine Learning (ML) & Natural Language Processing (NLP)
  • Social Network Analysis
  • Causal Inference
  • Intersectionality Frameworks (MAIHDA)
  • Meta-Analysis

Qualitative Methods:

  • Discourse Analysis

Programming Languages:

  • Python (skilled)
  • R (skilled)
  • Stata (skilled)
  • Mplus (skilled)
  • MATLAB and NetLogo

Academic Service#

I serve as a reviewer for multiple prestigious journals:

  • Child Abuse & Neglect
  • BMC Psychology
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
  • Journal of Affective Disorders
  • Cogent Social Sciences
  • Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
  • Frontiers in Public Health
  • PLOS ONE
  • Annals of Operation Research
  • Psychological Medicine

Work Experience#

Research Appointments#

  • 2026– Data Analyst, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
  • 2023– Research Assistant, McGill University Sociology
  • 2021–2023 Research Assistant, Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Psychology), School of Education, Guangzhou University
  • 2019–2022 Research Assistant, Department of Sociology, Guangzhou University

Internship Experience#

  • 2022/09–2022/11 Psychological Trainers Internship, Guangzhou Clear Sky Psychological Service
  • 2022/05–2022/07 Intermediate Social Work Internship, Guangzhou Shanshan Social Service Centre

Conference Presentations#

  1. Exemplar of the New Century? - Understanding China’s Drug Policy in the 21st Century through Critical Discourse Analysis. Canadian Sociological Association 2024.

Grants and Awards#

Grants and Fellowships#

  • 2026 FRQS Bourses de doctorat en recherche - volet regulier ($100,000)
  • 2025 Western Graduate Research Scholarship ($16,912/year, declined)
  • 2023 Western Graduate Research Scholarship ($16,912/year, declined)
  • 2023 Graduate entrance scholarship of UBC ($5,000, declined)
  • 2020–21 Provincial scientific research projects for college students (¥7,000)
  • 2020–21 College Challenge Cup of Guangzhou University (¥2,500)

Awards and Honors#

  • 2023 Outstanding graduate thesis in Guangzhou University
  • 2022 First prize for thesis in First Chinese Political Science Undergraduate Symposium
  • 2021 First-class scholarship of Guangzhou University
  • 2021 Outstanding student at Guangzhou University
  • 2021 Excellent academic scale of Guangzhou University
  • 2021 The second prize of the College Challenge Cup of Guangzhou University
  • 2020 Third-class scholarship of Guangzhou University

Memberships#

  • Canadian Sociological Association (2024–)
  • The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (2023–)
  • The Chinese Association of Social Psychology (2019–)