Dr. Yao Zhang had her PhD from the Harbin Institute of Technology in 2018. She subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Queen Mary University of London from 2017 to 2020. She then joined Northumbria University as a Senior Lecturer before taking up a Lectureship at the University of Southampton in 2022. In December 2024, Dr. Zhang joined UCL as a Lecturer in Marine/Maritime Digitalization and Automation.

She serves as a Deputy Editor in Ocean Engineering, an Associate Editor in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, IET Generation, Transmission, and Distribution. She serves as the Secretary of the IEEE UK&Ireland Women In Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group, an IEEE UK&Ireland WIE Ambassador, and the local event coordinator for the IEEE UK&Ireland Control System Chapter.