Rate My Professor Wei Gao

Wei Gao is a distinguished mechanical engineer and researcher, currently holding the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. From 2016 to 2022, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine in 2007, and a B.S. in Engineering Mechanics from Tsinghua University in 2005. Dr. Gao's career is marked by significant contributions to advanced materials research and computational modeling.

Dr. Gao's research specializations encompass solid mechanics, materials science, multiscale modeling, and machine learning applications in engineering. His work explores the mechanical behavior of materials, low-dimensional materials, biological and bio-inspired materials and structures, computational material design, and advanced material manufacturing. Notable projects include leading a CPS Energy-funded initiative on clean energy and grid cybersecurity with privacy-preserving mechanisms in 2019, and developing soft robotic solar trackers for improved efficiency. He has received major awards such as the NSF CAREER Award in 2021 for his project 'Atomistic Investigation of Phase Transition in Nanostructured Silicon – Towards Convergent Manufacturing and Performance,' funded with $500,723, and the 2017 GREAT Award from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Key publications include 'Removal of glycosaminoglycans affects the in situ mechanical properties of the osteocyte lacunar-canalicular system in cortical bone' (Bone Reports, 2021, with Xiaodu Wang et al.), 'Crystallization and melting of polymer chains on graphene and graphyne' (Polymer, 2023), 'Predicting the Mechanical Behavior of a Bioinspired Nanocomposite through Machine Learning' (CMES, 2024, with Xingzi Yang et al.), and 'Intrafibrillar mineralization deficiency and osteogenesis imperfecta mouse bone fragility' (with Mohammad Maghsoudi-Ganjeh et al.). With over 2,540 citations and expertise directing the Multiscale Mechanics of Materials Laboratory, Dr. Gao has profoundly influenced multiscale mechanics and materials innovation.