Yao‑Yuan Mao

🆕 SAGA Survey DR3 papers [III, IV, V], posters [III, IV, V], & press article.

I am an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah, studying astrophysics with a focus on low-mass galaxies and dark matter. See my Curriculum Vitae (CV) .

My research answers key questions about the nature of dark matter, galaxy formation physics, and the uniqueness of our own Milky Way by studying the connection between low-mass galaxies and their invisible nests, the dark matter halos. Check out my publication list for my recent work.

I participate in many science collaborations: I have been co-piloting the SAGA Survey, a galaxy redshift survey that characterizes satellite systems around Galactic analogs. I am active in the Rubin Observatory science community. I participate in the US/Chile Community Commissioning Effort Program and the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC).

In LSST DESC, I serve as a co-convener of the Science Release and Validation Working Group. I have previously co-led the Dark Matter Working Group and Data Access Team, and served as the Collaboration Council Chair and the Hack/Sprint Coordinator. I was credited the Builder Status by DESC in 2019.

I received my Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University in 2016, working with my thesis advisor, Risa Wechsler. I then conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh as a Samuel P. Langley PITT PACC Fellow (2016–19), and later at Rutgers University as a NASA Einstein Fellow (2019–22).

I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. I received my B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University in 2009.

I care about inclusion and equity, both in academia and more broadly, and I am committed to improving the inclusiveness and equity in my circles of influence. I am the current maintainer of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Outlist.

I am an avid programmer. Check out some software tools that I've developed, and also my  GitHub profile.

Contact Me

• Email: yymao [at] astro.utah.edu
• Campus office: INSCC, Room 314 (located inside Room 305)
• Mailing address:
  Yao‑Yuan Mao
  University of Utah, Physics
  115 S 1400 E #201
  Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0830, USA

About My Name

My name is 茅耀元 in Traditional Chinese characters; the first character is my last name Mao.

In English-speaking environments I usually go by Yao. I use they/them and he/him as my pronouns.

How to pronounce my name?

• Each character of my name is monosyllabic.
• Yao [YOW]: starts as in yard and ends as in how, with the falling (4th) tone.
• Yuan [YOO-en]: starts with the [ɥ] sound (similar to few but with rounded lips), and ends as in tan, with the rising (2nd) tone.
• Mao [MOW]: same vowels as in Yao, but with the rising (2nd) tone.
• Listen to the pronunciation of my name with Google Translate.

How to style my name in writing?

• "Yao‑Yuan" as a whole is my first name, with the hyphen indicating two syllables. Both Y's should always be capitalized.
• If hyphens are not allowed (but why?), it is OK to use a space instead and write my first name as "Yao Yuan". However, "Yuan" should not be considered as a middle name, nor should it be combined with "Yao" into a single word.
• When abbreviated, my name should appear as "Y.‑Y. Mao".
• In casual situations where only first names are being used, it is appropriate to use just "Yao" like in verbal communications.
• These styling rules are my own. They are not general rules and do not apply to everyone who uses romanized Chinese names.