Zain is currently affiliated with the Research School of Management at the Australian National University. He is also involved as a co-investigator in a World Vision Australia project, as well as serving on the ANU Grand Challenge "Australian Social Cohesion: Exploring New Directions" (ASCEND) project. He is a certified professional trainer by Swinburne University of Technology, and an accredited lecturer in intercultural management by Hofstede Insights, Finland.

Engaged in projects across Australia, Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Myanmar and Vietnam, Zain focuses on exploring questions with strong theoretical motivation and relevant downstream policy implications. Some of his current research investigates power dynamics in refugee camps, indigenous praxis in virtual spaces, financing gaps for the missing middle, ethical complexities in food supply chains, and digital interventions to address farmer poverty.

Zain has received numerous competitive scholarships, grants and recognitions from such institutions as European Academy of Management (Belgium), IMD Lausanne (Switzerland), Council for Cultural Relations (India), Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Malaysia), Australian National University and Macquarie University (Australia). He has over 8 years of academic and corporate experience, complemented by substantial exposure to working in rural regions and marginalized contexts.

Zain has presented his papers at conferences and academic events in a number of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. He is a member of the Academy of Management and the European Group for Organizational Studies and is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK.