Yao Liu obtained her Ph.D. in Medical Research from the University of Tasmania, Australia. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Wicking Centre. She holds an Australian permanent residency under the distinguished academic stream, and serves as Vice President of the Tasmanian Expert Scholars Association of Australia. She is a member of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS), the Australian Chinese Association for Biomedical Sciences (ACABS), a senior member of the Chinese Society for Cell Biology, as well as a member of the Shandong University Australia Alumni Association and Fudan University Australia Alumni Association.

With nearly thirty years of experience in biomedical research, she has led and participated in scientific research projects in Germany, China and Australia. She works as an academic reviewer for journals including International Journal of Biological Macromolecules and Molecular Neurobiology. She previously held the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the Tasmania Shandong Association and Chamber of Commerce in Australia.