HAO Lab · University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Engineering resilient systems for a changing world.
We connect earth system science, data-driven modeling, and decision optimization to protect ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities from climate extremes.
Yuefeng Hao, Ph.D. · Assistant Professor, Industrial & Systems Engineering · August 2026
Our mission
Where earth systems meet decision intelligence.
HAO Lab develops practical, interpretable tools for complex environmental and engineered systems. Our work integrates remote sensing, process-based modeling, artificial intelligence, and optimization to anticipate risk and support better decisions.
Yuefeng Hao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Industrial & Systems Engineering
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Research pillars
Science that moves from insight to action.
01
Climate & Ecosystem Risk
Understanding flash droughts, heatwaves, wildfire, water-use efficiency, and ecosystem recovery across scales.
02
Decision Optimization & Resilience
Turning uncertain forecasts into robust, transparent decisions for resilient communities and engineered systems.
Current highlight
HAO Lab in the news.
UT CEE feature · September 16, 2025
Cultivating Farmers’ Resilience to Flash Droughts and Flash Floods
Extreme floods and droughts are a leading cause of crop losses in the United States. A multidisciplinary University of Tennessee team is developing an AI-driven decision-support tool to help row-crop producers respond to rapidly developing flash droughts and floods.
“In Tennessee, we’re seeing flash droughts increasingly occur in early summer, causing producer challenges around when to plant, when to irrigate, and whether to invest in new or expanded irrigation systems.”
— Yuefeng Hao
The team has mapped a 45-year record of Tennessee floods and flash droughts and is now building a model that combines historical and real-time data to compare irrigation-management outcomes and reduce uncertainty for farmers.
By Meghan McDonald
Build resilient systems with us.
We are recruiting fully funded Ph.D. students interested in environmental systems, data science, and optimization.
HAO Lab
Hydrology · Agriculture · Optimization
University of Tennessee, Knoxville · yhao12@utk.edu
HAO Lab 