Asian & Irish Community Connect

About Dr Meishan Zhang

I am currently an Information and Advocacy Officer at the Crosscare Migrant Project, where I provide immigration information and support to the Chinese community and the wider migrant population in Ireland. I’m also the co-founder and director of Asian & Irish Community Connect. I have been involved in migrant support work since 2017 and have extensive experience in organising cultural events.

From September 2023 to August 2025, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Sociology, Maynooth University. My project, “Interpreting Justice: An Exploration of Chinese Immigrants’ Experiences in the Immigration System in Ireland,” was funded under the Research Ireland Enterprise Partnership Scheme in collaboration with the Crosscare Migrant Project.

I hold a BA in Museum Studies and Archaeology (2013) from Nankai University, an MA in Museum and Gallery Studies (2014) from the University of St Andrews, and a PhD in History (2021) from Trinity College Dublin, where I was awarded the TCD Studentship Award. My PhD examined the transformation of material culture in Republican Shanghai through the production and adaptation of medical equipment, exploring how politicians, medical professionals, intellectuals, the media, and consumers collectively shaped these changes.

Following my PhD, I spent three years teaching Chinese language at the Department of Chinese Studies, Maynooth University, where I developed a strong interest in innovative, project-based approaches to language and culture learning. I served as the Primary Academic Mentor for the 2023 Summer Programme for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) project “The Influence of Films on Students’ Chinese Language Learning Experience,” and was the recipient of the 2022 SPARK Initiative for my project “DIY Audiobooks.” I also led the 2022 International Chinese Teaching Practice Innovation Project funded by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation, “The Construction of Cultural Products Combining Immersive Games and Chinese Teaching.”