Botao Zhao

Botao Zhao is a first-year Master of Environmental Science student at the Yale School of the Environment. He received a B.E. in Urban and Rural Planning at Southeast University in 2023. Botao’s research centers on environmental anthropology and human geography, focusing on the social and humanity aspects of space, place, and environment. He especially cares about how modernity is transforming the non-urban regions and changing local societies across the globe, with a particular interest in the trans-Himalayan region.

His summer research will explore the shifting socio-economic circumstances of the indigenous societies along the Sino-Tibetan frontier since the 1980s through the lens of salt production and trade. Botao is devoted to actively acting as a grounded researcher, serving as a bridge across culture, disciplines, and geographical domains, facilitating interactions and dialogues within different communities.