Xiaoyu Zhang is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Master of Legal Studies Program at Vermont Law School. Her research focuses on comparative environmental law in the area of environmental public interest litigation, natural resources damages, watershed protection, and environmental impact assessment. She develops and manages the Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Degree Program at Vermont Law School, including creating the vision and strategies for the MLS degree, teaching MLS required courses, mentoring MLS students, and expanding the reach of MLS program.

Before taken the current position, Xiaoyu was the Director of Partnerships at Vermont Law and Graduate School, and as the assistant director of the U.S.-Asia Partnerships of Environmental Law since 2017. She was actively involved in cultivating and maintaining partnerships between Vermont Law School and other educational institutions, corporations, NGOs, and governmental organizations within the U.S. and worldwide. She also had the experience working as the lawyer for ClientEarth Beijing office doing studies and managing projects on China’s environmental governance, procuratorial environmental public interest litigation, and watershed protection.

Before she stepped into environmental law field, she has 6 years of experience as the legal counsel for one of China’s largest state-owned mining companies in Beijing, and as a corporate lawyer at an international law firm based in Hong Kong.

She holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of English Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University, an LL.M. from NYU Law School, and an LL.M. from Vermont Law School. She is also a registered attorney in New York State.