Yongping Wei

Professor Yongping Wei is a Professor at the School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, where she has been employed since 2020. She also holds affiliate positions at the Centre for Marine Science and the School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability at the University of Queensland. Previously, she was a research fellow, senior research fellow, and principal research fellow at the Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne (2008-2015). Her academic journey includes over 11 years of professional experience as an Irrigation Engineer and Water Manager in China before pursuing her academic career.

Professor Wei holds a PhD in Natural Resources Management from the University of Melbourne (2007), along with a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Natural Resources Economics. Her educational background bridges technical engineering expertise with economic understanding of natural resources.

Professor Wei is a founder of socio-hydrology, with research focusing on the interactive processes between humans and nature. Her work develops quantitative sociology integrated into natural cycles to improve environmental decision-making. Her primary research areas include global environmental change, sustainable water and land management, and the interaction between human systems and environmental systems. She leads the catchment governance system science laboratory, covering three innovative disciplines: catchment governance mechanics, catchment system connectivity, and catchment social-hydrology.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on interdisciplinary approaches to water management, socio-ecological systems, and the integration of social sciences with hydrology. The research spans multiple continents (Australia, China, and others), examining river basin management, water governance, climate change impacts, and sustainable resource use through both quantitative and qualitative methods.

• ARC Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2010-2013)
• ARC Future Fellowship (2015-2019)
• ARC College of Experts appointment (2022-2024)

Professor Wei has supervised ten PhD students and three Post-Docs, with research topics spanning water governance, flood management, socio-ecological systems, and urban water management. She has secured over 40 grants totaling approximately $10 million as sole CI, first CI, or project coordinator, including major projects funded by the Australian Research Council and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Notable projects include the establishment of the Australia-China Joint Research Centre on River Basin Management.

She leads the catchment governance system science laboratory and has established significant international research collaborations, particularly between Australia and China, focusing on sustainable river basin management and socio-hydrological systems.