Yao Li

Yao Li is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Systems and Management Engineering within the College of Business at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). She joined SUSTech in 2021 after completing her doctoral studies at Tsinghua University and has established herself as a rising scholar in operations management with a focus on healthcare applications.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University (2015-2021)
• CSC Jointly Trained Doctoral Student, Purdue University Krannert School of Management (2018-2019)
• B.S. in Industrial Engineering, Beihang University (2011-2015)

Dr. Li's research sits at the intersection of operations management and information systems, with particular emphasis on healthcare operations. Her work investigates how information technology impacts healthcare delivery systems, especially in areas like interhospital patient transfers, health IT interoperability, and the application of network analysis to healthcare systems. She also explores broader applications of operations management principles in sustainable manufacturing and new energy vehicle industries. Her research methodology combines empirical analysis with network science approaches to examine complex operational systems.

Her publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory from manufacturing supply chains toward healthcare operations, with recent work focusing on health information exchange, patient care seeking behavior, and the impact of digital technologies on healthcare delivery. This evolution reflects both her growing expertise and the increasing importance of digital health systems in modern healthcare.

Scientific Awards:

• Finalist for Best Paper Award & Best Student Paper Award at INFORMS CIST 2020
• Best CTO Division Paper at Academy of Management
• First prize in SUSTech Young Faculty Teaching Competition
• Outstanding Graduate of Beijing
• Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation at Tsinghua University

Dr. Li currently leads multiple research projects including a National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Project on data-driven regional collaborative medical service research for cardiovascular diseases (2024-2026), a Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission project on new energy vehicle consumption markets, and a Shenzhen Excellent Science and Technology Innovation Talents project on complex network analysis applications. Her research funding demonstrates strong institutional support for her work at both national and municipal levels.

Her research appears to be conducted through interdisciplinary collaborations, often working with colleagues from healthcare institutions, engineering departments, and business schools to address complex operational challenges in healthcare delivery systems and manufacturing networks.