Dr Heather Xiaoquan Zhang was invited by Professor Karen Shire to participate in the 'Women Crossing Borders' International Workshop held at the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, 19 November 2009, where Dr Zhang talked about her experience in conducting research on China applying a gendered lens and collaborating with Chinese academics in research activities, and advised PhD candidates on researching East Asia and career development 'across borders'.