Faculty

Biography

Dr. Meng Yao is a tenured Associate Professor of Molecular Ecology at Peking University. Dr. Yao received her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Peking University in 2000, followed by a Ph.D. in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which she completed in 2007. She has led her research group at Peking University since 2010. Through the application of environmental DNA technology, she seeks to gain insights into a broad spectrum of ecological themes, including biodiversity patterns, community ecology dynamics, and food-web organization. Dr. Yao is the recipient of the 2023 National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China.

Education

2007  Ph.D. in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, The University of Michigan, Michigan, USA
2000  B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Peking University, Beijing, China

Professional Experience

2024 ‒ present Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences and Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing, China
2018 ‒ 2024  Research Associate Professor, Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing, China
2010 ‒ 2018  Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
2007 ‒ 2009  Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The University of Michigan Medical School, Michigan, USA

Editorial Activities

Environmental DNA, Associate Editor, 2022-

Books and Book Chapter

• Contributing author of “Chimpanzee Conservation: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and Ways Forward” in Chimpanzees in Context: A comparative Perspective on Chimpanzee Behavior, Cognition, Conservation, and Welfare. (2019) Hopper L. M. and Ross R. R. (eds). The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA.
• Contributing author of The Natural History of the White-Headed Langur. (2017) Pan W. et al. Peking University Press, Beijing, China.
• Contributing author of The Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin in Qinzhou. (2013) Pan W. et al. Peking University Press, Beijing, China.
• Contributing author of Encyclopedia of China 3rd edition, Ecology: Behavioral Ecology.

Textbook

• Editor of Chen Yuezeng General Biology, 5th ed. (2023) Zhao J. et al. (eds). Higher Education Press, Beijing, China.
• Editor of "101 Textbooks" General Biology and General Ecology, (2025) Higher Education Press, Beijing, China.

Teaching

• General Biology
• Population Genetics
• Evolutionary Biology
• Ecology Laboratory