Dr. Yao Li

Yao Li, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geographical Sciences. His research primarily focuses on exploring the spatial dynamics of various health issues. For instance, he investigates how human mobility influences disease transmission and how the spatial patterns of parasites can reveal the transmission routes of infectious diseases. Another area of his research is geospatial genomics, where he integrates spatial components (such as spatial analysis and spatial data) into gene flow simulations to enhance their accuracy and efficiency. Dr. Li employs a range of mathematical and simulation methods, including agent-based modeling, machine/deep learning, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. He utilizes diverse datasets, such as survey data, GPS data,
cellphone data, and remote sensing data.

Before joining the faculty in Charlotte, Dr. Li was a Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He also completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and at the Center for
Geospatial Information Science in the Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland.

Funded research assistant (RA) positions will be available for M.A. and Ph.D. students beginning in Fall 2025. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Dr. Li directly.

Education

• Ph.D in Geographical Science, University of Maryland, College Park (2021)
• M.S. in Agricultural Informatization (Landscape Ecology), University of Chinese Academy of Science (2016)
• B.E. in Remote Sensing Science and Technology, Wuhan University (2013)

Teaching and Research Interests

• GIScience
• Health and Medical Geography
• Human Mobility
• Spatial Data Analysis/Mining/Programming
• Web GIS
• Data Visualization