主持参与多项部级、省级科研项目，代表性成果如下：

1. 科技部科技创新2030 —“脑科学与类脑研究”重大项目(2021ZD0200701，在研，课题负责人)

2. 国家自然科学基金联合项目(U21A20520，在研，课题负责人)

3. 甘肃省重点研发计划项目(23YFGA0004，在研，主持)

4. 甘肃省自然科学基金项目(20JR5RA292，结题，主持)

5. 国家“973”计划子课题，(2014CB744601-1，结题，主持)

迄今已在NeuroImage, CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, Journal of Neurology, Journal of Affective Disorders, Computers in Biology and Medicine等知名学术期刊发表SCI论文60余篇，获授权国家发明专利3项。代表性SCI论文如下：

[1] Shang Y, Yao Z*, Hu B*, et al. Functional connectome hierarchy distortions in female nurses with occupational burnout and its gene expression signatures [J]. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2023, In Press.

[2] Zhang L, Yao Z*, Hu B*, et al. Fine-grained features characterize hippocampal and amygdaloid change pattern in Parkinson’s Disease and discriminate cognitive-deficit subtype [J]. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 2023, In Press.

[3] Pang J, Guo H, Yao Z*, Hu B*, et al. Uncovering the global task-modulated brain network in chunk decomposition with Chinese characters[J]. NeuroImage, 2022, 247: 118826.

[4] Chen N, Yao Z*, Hu B*, et al. Decreased dynamism of overlapping brain sub-networks in major depressive disorder [J]. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2021, 133: 197-204.

[5] Zheng W, Woo C W, Yao Z, et al. Pain-Evoked Reorganization in Functional Brain Networks [J]. Cerebral Cortex, 2020, 30(5): 2804-2822.

[6] Yao Z, Zou Y, et al. Structural alterations of the brain preceded functional alterations in major depressive disorder patients: Evidence from multimodal connectivity [J]. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2019, 253: 107-117.

[7] Zheng W, Yao Z, et al. Identification of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment using networks constructed based on multiple morphological brain features [J]. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2018, 3(10): 887-897.

[8] Yao Z, Zhang Y, et al. Abnormal cortical networks in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease [J]. PLoS Computational Biology, 2010, 6(11): e1001006.

担任中国图像图形学学会脑图谱专业委员会委员、中国生物医学工程学会医学神经工程分会委员、中国人工智能学会会员、《四川精神卫生》杂志第七届青委会委员、《软件》杂志编委，及期刊Journal of Alzheimer's Disease副主编。