About
I'm a CICOES Postdoctoral Fellow 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 MJO) forms and changes with climate. I combine theory, cloud-resolving models, and machine learning to uncover essential mechanisms and sources of predictability. I also investigate extreme weather events and polar vortex dynamics.
Publications
In preparation
- Yao, L., and D. Yang. The Role of Equatorial Waves in MJO Predictability in Deep Convolutional Networks.
2025
- 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]
- Yao, L., W. Kang, G. Flierl, C. Liu, A. Kan, and K. Burns (2025). Baroclinic Instability as a Driver of Polar Vortices on Giant Planets. WHOI GFD Proceedings Volume 2025. [link]
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 MSE Framework Highlights the Role of the Boundary Layer in Convective Self-Aggregation. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. [link]
A full and up-to-date list is on Google Scholar.
CV
Education
Advisor: Da Yang
Advisor: Da Yang
Advisor: Zhe-Min Tan
Positions
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics summer program
Selected Awards
Leadership & Service
Selected Talks
A full list of presentations is in the CV.
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