Huajian Gao facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Huajian Gao
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| 高华健 | |
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| Born | December 7, 1963 |
| Citizenship | U.S. |
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| Known for | Micro- and nanomechanics of thin films, hierarchically structured materials, and cell-nanomaterials interactions. |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Solid Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science |
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Huajian Gao (born December 7, 1963) is a Chinese-American scientist. He is famous for his work in solid mechanics. This field studies how solid objects behave when forces are applied to them. He especially looks at how very tiny things, like thin films and nanomaterials, work. He also studies how cells interact with these tiny materials.
Professor Gao is a professor at Tsinghua University in China. He is also a Distinguished University Professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a professor emeritus at Brown University in the United States. He leads the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, a major science magazine.
In 2012, he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was for his important work on how thin films and complex materials behave. In 2021, he received the Timoshenko Medal. This award recognized his new ideas in studying tiny things in both engineering and living systems.
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Early Life and Learning
Huajian Gao was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, on December 7, 1963. He showed a strong interest in how things work from a young age.
Where He Studied
He earned his first degree in Engineering Mechanics in 1982. This was from Xi'an Jiaotong University in China. Later, he went to Harvard University in the United States. There, he earned his master's degree in 1984 and his Ph.D. in 1988. His studies focused on Engineering Science.
Becoming a Professor
After finishing his studies, Professor Gao taught at Stanford University. He worked there from 1988 to 2002. He became an associate professor in 1994 and a full professor in 2000. In 2001, he joined the Max Planck Society in Germany. He became a director at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research.
In 2006, he moved to Brown University as a professor. In 2019, he joined Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He also worked with the Institute of High Performance Computing there. In January 2024, he started a full-time professor position at Tsinghua University.
What He Researches
Professor Gao's research combines different areas of science. He uses applied mechanics and engineering science to understand materials.
Main Research Areas
His work focuses on three main areas:
- Solid Mechanics: How solid materials behave under stress.
- Nanomechanics: How materials behave at a very, very small scale (nanoscale).
- Biomechanics: How living things, like cells, behave mechanically.
He studies many different topics. These include how thin films work and how materials with complex structures behave. He also looks at how biological materials, like bones or tissues, get their strength. His research helps us understand how cells stick to surfaces. It also explores how cells interact with tiny nanomaterials. He even studies how materials used in batteries store energy.
Awards and Honors
Professor Gao has received many important awards for his scientific work.
Major Recognitions
- In 1995, he received a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. This is a special award for people who show great ability in their field.
- In 2012, he won the Humboldt Prize from Germany. He also received the Rodney Hill Prize in Solid Mechanics. This prize is from the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM).
- He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2012.
- In 2015, he became a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
- He joined the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2017.
- In 2018, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
- He became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.
- In 2021, he received the Timoshenko Medal. This was for his groundbreaking work in nanomechanics for both engineering and living systems.
- In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.
