Holding a Ph.D. in Cardiff University, Yu is the Director of MSc Eco-cities, Cardiff University, the Chief Researcher of Chinese Society for Urban Studies, the Adjunct Professor of Tianjin University and Hefei University of Technology, and a member of the International Editorial Board of GLOBAL BUILT ENVIRONMENT REVIEW. Yu was once the Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, the Director of the International Cooperation and Training Center, and the Consultant of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.