Mapping disruptions. Building Resilience. Bridging Systems
What’s your research about, in a sentence?
Yao studies how disruptions ripple across complex urban logistics systems, from pandemics to port shutdowns and is building a predictive model to stop cascading failures in their tracks.
What inspired this research?
The global logistics chaos of COVID-19 and that infamous Suez Canal blockage, sparked Yao’s obsession with how minor disruptions escalate into global breakdowns. With his background in engineering and systems analysis, urban logistics became the perfect field to explore uncertainty, resilience, and real-world complexity.
Real-world impact
By blending statistical learning, systems theory, and transport data, Yao’s research provides insights for policymakers, city planners, and logistics firms on early-warning signals and smarter infrastructure design.
What’s next after the PhD?
Yao hopes to work at the intersection of research and practice, building predictive analytics for infrastructure or even teaching. “Whether in policy or academia, I want to help systems thrive under complexity.”
Yao graduated from TUM’s Master of Science in Rail, Transport and Logistics. Learn more about him here.
“The goal? Smarter, more resilient transport systems that can anticipate problems before they become crises.”
Most enjoyed about Singapore:
- Diversity, infrastructure, and (of course) the food.
Unwinding rituals:
- Bookstore walks, ambient jazz, specialty teas, meditation, and… lifting weights.
Favourite quote:
- “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.” — Jean-Paul Sartre. A reminder for Yao that systems, like identities, are built with intent.
Fun fact:
- Yao lost 10kg in three months by turning weight loss into a personal optimisation experiment.