Gao Yufang

Gao Yufang is a Ph.D. candidate in the combined program between the Yale School of the Environment and the Yale Department of Anthropology. He earned his B.S. in Biology from Peking University and his M.S. in Environmental Science from Yale University. Since 2008, Gao has participated in various conservation research and practice projects at the local, national, and international levels. His research interests include human-wildlife coexistence, illegal wildlife trade, traditional ecological knowledge, and conservation leadership, among others. As an interdisciplinary researcher, Gao has published articles in Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, Conservation Science and Practice, and other journals. His work has been featured in media outlets such as The Washington Post, Scientific American, and National Geographic, as well as various international and Chinese media outlets. In 2016, Gao was honored with the Marsh Award for Terrestrial Conservation Leadership and the National Geographic Emerging Explorer Award. As the founder and director of China Conservation Support, a leadership program aimed at engaging and empowering early-career Chinese conservationists, Gao promotes “conservation edgewalkership” - the ability to work across biophysical, sociopolitical, and cultural boundaries for the common welfare of humans and nonhumans.