Zhongwei Zhao is a graduate of Peking University and the University of Cambridge. He now works at the Australian National University (ANU). His research interests are broad and he has published widely on historical demography, computer microsimulation, family and kinship, mortality, fertility, famine and environmental impacts on population health.

Adrian C. Hayes was educated in the UK and the US and has combined an active academic career with extensive development experience in Asia. He has taught at major universities in the United States, Canada, China and Nepal, and has worked with the United Nations, the World Bank and other bilateral and international agencies. He is currently based at the ANU.