Prof. Gao’s research has been focused on the understanding of basic principles that control mechanical properties and behaviors of materials in both engineering and biological systems. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, the flagship journal of his field. He has been elected to memberships in US National Academy of Sciences, US National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, German National Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea. He has also received numerous awards and honors, including the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the Rodney Hill Prize in Solid Mechanics from the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, the William Prager Medal from Society of Engineering Science, the Nadai Medal from American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Theodor von Karman Medal from American Society of Civil Engineers.