Hao is an interdisciplinary conservation geographer with a background in conservation and land system science and ecological economics. His research integrates methods from geospatial analysis, econometrics, landscape ecology, and systematic conservation planning to better understand coupled human–nature systems and explore nature-based conservation solutions.

Hao received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Copenhagen in March 2024. His doctoral research focused on understanding the causal effects of conservation actions on nature’s contributions to people and human well-being, as well as the trade-offs and synergies among the social-ecological outcomes associated with these conservation actions.

As a postdoctoral researcher at FNK, Hao currently focuses on assessing the conservation status of Arctic tundra biodiversity and developing systematic conservation planning approaches to support a sustainable and socially acceptable protected-area network across the circum-Arctic, working together with Prof. Uwe A. Schneider and Dr. Kerstin Jantke.