Dr. Yumeng Zhao is an Associate Professor at the School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from HIT and completed a joint Ph.D. program in Environmental Engineering at Yale University. Dr. Zhao’s research focuses on advancing innovative water treatment technologies, including inorganic catalytic membranes and electro-active membranes for decentralized water reuse, addressing key challenges at the water-energy nexus. Her work has been published in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications, Environmental Science & Technology, and Water Research, and has earned recognition, including the Distinguished Young Scholar Award from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. In addition to her research, Dr. Zhao is an active member of the International Water Association (IWA), where she serves on the Specialist Group for the Design, Operation, and Maintenance of Drinking Water Treatment Plants and is a member of one of the first cohorts of IWA LeaP, the IWA YWP leadership programme.