Li Zhao completed a Bachelor of Hydrology at the Jilin University, China in 2003 and a Master of Groundwater Science and Engineering at the China University of Geosciences, Beijing in 2006. Her research interests include soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer modelling, soil moisture, hydrology and hydrogeology. Currently, Li is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University, focusing on the topic ‘’Spatially forecasting coupled litter and root zone moisture dynamics’’.