Dr. Yao earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the University of Toronto and holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research seeks to understand changing workplaces as technological and institutional environments evolve. In particular, she is interested in the tensions between traditional workplace norms and characteristics of innovative work arrangements. Her current research program examines professional workers participating in online platform work, which received the Best Student Paper Award from the Canadian Industrial Relations Association and the UCIRHRP Best Paper Award. Prior to joining Telfer, Dr. Yao taught at Rotman School of Management, the University of Toronto. She also serves at the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Labour and Employment Relations Association.