I got BS in Zhejiang University and achieved PhD degree at University of Maryland in 2018. I work at Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as Professor and Ph.D. advisor. My research interests include but are not limited to nearshore hydrodynamics, numerical modeling, and observation of wave-current interaction. Dr. Mao has published over 20 papers as first/corresponding author in the prestigious top journals of physical oceanography and numerical modeling including Journal of Physical Oceanography, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans and Ocean Modelling, and presented over 20 times at the international academic conferences (Including Keynote Speaker, Session Chair, and Outstanding Poster Presenter etc.). The research outcomes are reported several times by CAS official website (including Chinese and English). Dr. Mao is the reviewer for the NSFC (including International Cooperation Project, Young Scholar Project), CAS Division expert, CAS International Cooperation, Shandong Province, Guangdong Province, Beijing City proposals and Ph.D. thesis from universities, experts of the intellectual property in Yantai City, I am also a reviewer of peer-reviewed journals such as Communication Earth & Environment, Progress in Oceanography, Ocean Modelling, Water Resources Research, Marine Geology, Geoscientific Model Development, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (ECSS), Marine Pollution Bulletin, Ocean and Coastal Management, Journal of Great Lakes Research, Big Earth Data, Journal of Sea Research, Ocean Dynamics, Journal of Operational Oceanography, Journal of Coastal Research, Acta Oceanologica Sinica, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (JMSE), Water, Sustainability, Energies, Frontiers in Marine Science, Frontiers in Earth Science, Journal of Oceanography and Limnology, Regional Studies in Marine Science, Quaternary Science Advances, Marine Technology Society Journal, Periodical of Ocean University of China, and award as the outstanding contribution in reviewing ECSS of year 2018, and 2023 Outstanding Reviewer Award of JMSE. Served as Guest Editor for the SCI journals Oceans and SCI journal Water. The New Early Career Editorial Board Members of journals Oceans, Geosciences. Editorial Board Members of Journal of Coastal Research. I am the Principal Investigator (PI) of several projects including the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) etc. Recent graduated Master got full scholarship from top university of USA and UK (e.g., Batten Scholarship, Marie-Curie Scholarship etc.)

Principal Investigator (PI):

7. High-level talent program of CAS，2021-2023, 5 Million RMB.

6. NSFC，2021-2023，0.24 Million RMB.

5. High-level talent program of Yantai City，2019-2024，1 Million RMB.

4. Seed program of YIC-CAS，2018-2021，0.8 Million RMB.

3. Ministry of Science and Technology Fellowship for Young Staff，2021-2022, 0.3 Million RMB, China host.

2. International Cooperation and Exchange of NSFC，2021-2022, 0.4 Million RMB, China host.

1. CAS President's International Fellowship for Young Staff, 2020-2022，0.3 Million, China host RMB.

Selected Publications：

24. Ali, M.H., Aleem, M., Saddique, N., Anjum, L., Khan, M.I., Aslam, R.A., Akbar, M.U., Mao, M., Sarwar, A., Abbas, S.M.S., Farooq, U., Shukrullah, S., 2025. Spatiotemporal Analysis of Groundwater Storage Changes and Its Driving Factors in the Semi-Arid Region of the Lower Chenab Canal. Hydrology, 12(12), 330.

23. Gao, S., Mao, M.*, Xia, M., 2025. Wave dynamics in the Yellow River Estuary during cold wave and typhoon events. Ocean Modelling, 197,102568.

22. Liu, W., Luo, Z., Mao, M.*, 2025. A Numerical Study on the Bragg Resonance Characteristics of Multiple Floating Breakwaters. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 13(6), 1014.

21. Su, C., Sahoo, B.*, Mao, M., Xia, M., 2025. Machine Learning Techniques for Predicting Typhoon-Induced Storm Surge using a Hybrid Wind Field. Journal of Geophysical Research: Machine Learning and Computation, 2, e2024JH000507.

20. Wang, Y., Li, D.*, Ye, J., Zhao, H., Mao, M., Bai, F., Hu, J., Zhang, H., 2025. Numerical Analysis of Wave Interaction with a New Ecological Quadrangular Hollow Block. Water, 17(1), 96.

19. Mao, M., Xia, M.*, 2024. Modeling blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) larval transport and recruitment dynamics in a shallow lagoon-inlet-coastal ocean system. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 129(5), e2023JC020785.

18. Mojtahedi, A., Beyramzadeh, M., Siadatmousavi, S.M.*, Mao, M., 2024. The role of different wind input, whitecap dissipation and quadruplet wave-wave interaction terms in wave evolution in Lake Michigan. Ocean Engineering, 307, 118149.

17. Peng, J., Mao, M.*, Xia, M., 2024. Wave spectra analysis on the spatiotemporal variability of sea states under distinct typhoon tracks in a semi-enclosed sea. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 54(3), 783-807. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-23-0066.1.

16. Mao, M., Xia, M.*, 2023. Seasonal dynamics of water circulation and exchange flows in a shallow lagoon-inlet-coastal ocean system. Ocean Modelling, 186, 102276, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2023.102276.

15. Xia, M.*, Mao, M., Kang, X., 2023. Storm Surge Modeling: Influencing Factors. Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Book Chapter, Impact of extreme events, Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science, 2nd Edition, Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-90798-9.00033-0.

14. Nguyen, Q.T., Mao, M.*, Xia, M., 2023. Numerical Modeling of Nearshore Wave Transformation and Breaking Processes in the Yellow River Delta with FUNWAVE-TVD Wave Model. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 11, 1380, https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11071380.

13. Peng, J., Mao, M.*, Xia, M., 2023. Dynamics of wave generation and dissipation processes during cold wave events in the Bohai Sea. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 280(7), 108161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108161.

12. Fitzenreiter, K., Mao, M.*, Xia, M., 2022. Characteristics of surface currents in a shallow lagoon-inlet-coastal ocean system revealed by surface drifter observations, Estuaries and Coasts, 45(8), 2327-2344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-022-01086-6.

11. Sahoo, B., Mao, M.*, Xia, M., 2021. Projected changes of water currents and circulation in Lake Michigan under Representative Concentration Pathways scenarios. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 126, e2020JC016651, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016651.

10. Mao, M., Xia, M.*, 2020. Particle dynamics in the nearshore of Lake Michigan revealed by an observation–modeling system. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans., 125, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015765.

9. Mao, M., Xia, M.*, 2020. Monthly and episodic dynamics of summer circulation in Lake Michigan. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 124, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015932.

8. Xia, M.*, Mao, M., Niu, Q., 2020. Implementation and comparison of the recent three-dimensional radiation stress theory and vortex-force formalism in an unstructured-grid coastal circulation model. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 240, 106771.

7. Kang, X., Sahoo, B., Mao, M., Xia, M.*, 2020. “Marine Environmental Characterization”: A Practical Book for Marine Scientists and Engineers. Morgan & Claypool Publishers.

6. Mao, M., Xia, M.*, 2018. Wave–current dynamics and interactions at the two inlets of a shallow coastal lagoon system under Hurricane conditions. Ocean Modelling, 129, 124–144. (Most Cited Ocean Modelling Articles published since 2018, extracted from Scopus)

5. Xia, M.*, Mao, M., Kang, X., 2018. The St. Martin River and Maryland Coastal Bays inlet circulation and their sediment dynamics with the consideration of the ground water. Report to Maryland Coastal Bays Program.

4. Mao, M., Xia, M*, 2017. Dynamics of wave–current–surge interactions in Lake Michigan: A model comparison. Ocean Modelling, 110, 1–20. (Most Cited Ocean Modelling Articles published since 2017, extracted from Scopus)

3. Mao, M., van der Westhuysen, A.J., Xia, M.*, Schwab, D.J., Chawla, A., 2016. Modeling wind waves from deep to shallow waters in Lake Michigan using unstructured SWAN. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 121, 3836–3865.

2. He, Z., Weng, H., Ho, H.-C*., Ran, Q., Mao, M., 2014. Soil erosion and pollutant transport during rainfall-runoff processes. Water Resources, 41 (5), 604–611. 

1. He, Z.*, Weng, H., Mao, M., Ran, Q., 2013. Experimental study on soil erosion and pollutant transport during rainfall-runoff processes. In Proceedings of the 35th IAHR World Congress, Vols I and II. 

Welcome applications from international students/scholars for graduate school, postdoc, and falculty postions with backgrounds of marine science, atmospheric science, environmental science, fluid mechanics, numerical modeling, and mathmatics etc. Currently, 2 Ph.D. and 2 Master students are under my supervision. 1 Ph.D. and 2 MS students graduated. I have one international student get the UCAS full scholarship for MS study, and one graduated MS student get the full scholarship of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Candidate (Ph.D. full scholarship) from University of Nottingham, another MS student get the full scholarship from TOP US University for Ph.D. study. Merit students/faculty will be supported to present in the international conference (e.g., Ocean Science Meeting from ASLO, AGU Meeting, CERF Meeting). MS students will also be recommended to overseas for Ph.D. study.

Email: mhmao@yic.ac.cn