He is a widely acknowledged specialist in Dutch, European and Global Economic History.

Van Zanden graduated cum laude in Economics from VU University Amsterdam in 1981.

He received a doctorate from Wageningen University and Research Centre in 1985 with a thesis titled "The economic development of Dutch agriculture in the 19th century, 1800-1914."

In addition, in 2010, (for a period of five years) he was appointed honorary professor as the Maddison Chair at the University of Groningen.

In 2009, he was the president of the organising committee of the fifteenth World Economic History Congress 2009 in Utrecht.