Dr. Yixue Zhao earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Southern California (USC), with her research recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Computing Research Association (CRA), and Microsoft Research (MSR). Her outstanding academic contributions have led to prestigious publications, U.S. Patents, and notable awards. While operating in high-performance environments, she experienced firsthand that external success cannot resolve inner suffering.
Inspired by a major mental breakdown, Dr. Zhao was determined to find the Middle Way to balance external success and inner peace. As a scientist at heart, she explored a wide range of well-being approaches in search of what truly works. A 10-day silent meditation retreat became the turning point, revealing a deep level of unconditional happiness and peace beyond her wildest dreams. This milestone has completely changed her career path to dedicate her life to the well-being of herself and others. She has been trained under Bhante Vimalaramsi, Bhante Kusala, and Delson Armstrong.
Since then, Dr. Zhao took a sharp turn from Software Engineering research to AI & Mental Health. She was a Research Scientist at USC’s Information Sciences Institute and AI4Health Center, conducting interdisciplinary research on well-being using modern technology. In 2025, Dr. Zhao founded Yixue Research Institute to continue her passion in research on AI, Mental Health, and Meditation. At the same time, Dr. Zhao uniquely combines her background in AI and Mental Health with deep meditation practice to help busy, high-performing individuals cultivate clarity, meaning, and inner peace, without stepping away from their demanding lives.
Among all her titles, Dr. Zhao is most proud of “the most positive person I’ve ever met” and strives to maintain it. Dr. Yixue Zhao’s website: yixuezhao.com.
Dr. Yixue Zhao is the founder and founding scientist of Yixue Research Institute working on interdisciplinary research centered around AI, Mental Health, and Meditation with amazing collaborators in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Psychiatry, Behavioral Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, and counting. Before she became her own boss, she was a Research Computer Scientist at Information Sciences Institute (ISI) of the University of Southern California (USC). Prior to ISI, Dr. Zhao was a Computing Innovation Fellow (CIFellow) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, funded by Computing Research Association (CRA) and National Science Foundation (NSF). She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from USC in 2020, with a research focus on Software Engineering. Her work has been published at prestigious venues, spanning diverse research areas including mental health, digital well-being, mobile applications, program analysis, software testing, and open science. Dr. Zhao's work has been recognized by numerous awards throughout her career, including the Best Dissertation Award Finalist at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering, Microsoft Research Dissertation Grant, WiSE Merit Award, Best Research Assistant Award, Jenny Wang Excellence in Teaching Award, and UIUC EECS Rising Star. Dr. Zhao has also been actively involved in academic services and outreach programs, such as launching “Africa Initiative” to bring students from Africa to international research conferences, serving on the Steering Committee for student mentoring in the Software Engineering community, and actively participating in mentoring programs with countless students mentored, including high school students and underrepresented groups. Dr. Yixue Zhao’s website: yixuezhao.com.