Xianjia Ye studied economics at Fudan University (China) and the University of Groningen, where he got his bachelor degrees and master degree (summa cum laude). He finished his PhD at the University of Groningen in 2017.
Xianjia worked at Utrecht University from 2017 to 2019, and currently he is an assistant professor at the University of Groningen, and an affiliated researcher with the Groningen Growth and Development Centre (GGDC) and the Utrecht University Hub "Future of Work". His research is on international trade, global value chains, and the paths of upgrading in industrial structure and the labour force.