Yong Chao is an applied micro-economist, whose research focuses on industrial organization, antitrust and regulatory policies and behavioral economics.

His work has appeared in leading academic journals including the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Economic Research Journal (《经济研究》), International Economic Review, Management World(《管理世界》) , Management Science, RAND Journal of Economics, and Review of Financial Studies. He is a recipient of several research awards and grants from Microsoft Corporation, NET Institutes, China's Ministry of Education, Li Ka-Shing Foundation, and Pei-Kang Chang Research Foundation.

Chao earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California in 2010, his M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia in 2004, and his B.S. in Mathematics and B.A. in Economics from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China in 2003.