Zhao Yandong is a Professor at the School of Sociology, Renmin University of China, and serves as the Chief Expert of the Beijing Social Construction Research Institute at Renmin University. He holds multiple academic leadership roles, including: Standing Council Member of the Chinese Sociological Association, Director of its Professional Committee on Sociology of Technology, Deputy Director of both the Professional Committees on Sociology of Science and Social Networks & Social Capital, Council Member of the Chinese Society for Science and Technology Policy, where he chairs the Professional Committee on Sociology of Science. He has been recognized as a ‌National-Level Talent‌ under the New Century Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project and is a recipient of the ‌State Council Special Government.

His research focuses on sociology of science and technology, disaster sociology, and sociological research methods. He has published over 100 papers in journals including Nature, Sociological Studies, and Management World, and authored/translated more than 10 books. He has led multiple national and ministerial-level research projects and organized several large-scale nationwide social surveys.