Yao-Yuan Mao

Yao-Yuan Mao (茅耀元) is an astrophysicist studying low-mass galaxies and their connection to dark matter using numerical simulations and astronomical surveys, including the SAGA Survey and the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Mao joined the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy in July 2022. Before joining the U, Mao conducted postdoctoral research at Rutgers University as a NASA Einstein Fellow, and at the University of Pittsburgh as a PITT PACC Langley Fellow. Mao received their Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University in 2016, and B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University in 2009. Mao was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Mao received the Cottrell Scholar Award in 2026, the University Early Career Teaching Award in 2026, and the Martha Bradley Evans Teaching Fellowship in 2025.

Mao leads the effort of improving the accessibility of instructional materials in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Mao is the maintainer of Astronomy and Astrophysics Outlist and also serves in the AAS Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA).