Lin Yao
Tropical convection
Postdoctoral Fellow, Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES), University of Washington · PhD, University of Chicago
About
I'm a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES) at the University of Washington, hosted by Prof. Gerard Roe and Dr. Chidong Zhang. I received my PhD in 2026 from the Department of the Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago, where I worked with Prof. Da Yang.
My research centers on moist convection. I study how large-scale tropical convection (e.g., convective self-aggregation and the Madden–Julian Oscillation) forms and changes with climate, and what sets its predictability.
Publications
2024
- Yang, D., L. Yao, and W. Hannah (2024). Vertically Resolved Analysis of the Madden–Julian Oscillation Highlights the Role of Convective Transport of Moist Static Energy. Geophysical Research Letters. [link]
2023
- Yao, L., and D. Yang (2023). Convective Self-Aggregation Occurs Without Radiative Feedbacks in Warm Climates. Geophysical Research Letters. [link]
2022
- Yao, L., D. Yang, and Z.-M. Tan (2022). A Vertically Resolved Moist Static Energy Framework Highlights the Role of the Boundary Layer in Convective Self-Aggregation. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. [link]
Under review
- Yao, L., D. Yang, J. Duncan, A. Chattopadhyay, P. Hassanzadeh, W. Bhimji, and B. Yu (2025). Deep Learning the Sources of MJO Predictability: A Spectral View of Learned Features. Under review. [arXiv]
Education & Positions
Education
Advisor: Da Yang
Advisor: Da Yang
Positions
Hosts: Gerard Roe & Chidong Zhang
Contact
The best way to reach me is by email. I'm happy to chat about research, collaboration, or open questions in the field.
Seattle, WA 98195