Prof GAO Jian

gaojian@hku.hk
(852) 3917 1094
CJT-541
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HKU Research Hub

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Prof. GAO, Jian

Assistant Professor

Prof. Gao’s research interests lie in the burgeoning interdisciplinary fields of Computational Social Science and the Science of Science and Innovation. He uses massive, large-scale datasets and develops computational approaches to study complex social and economic systems. His recent work explores AI for science and the interaction between science and society, covering social dynamics, public policy, innovation, education, and more.

Prof. Gao was trained in the departments of applied mathematics, computer science, physics, media arts & sciences, and management, where he developed a growing interest in conducting interdisciplinary research. He was an exchange student at MIT and a visiting scholar at Boston University. Before HKU, he was a research assistant professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a researcher at the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO).

Prof. Gao’s interdisciplinary experiences fueled his vision to translate research findings into meaningful social impact. His work has been published in leading journals such as Science, Physics Reports, Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Communications, Journal of The Royal Society Interface, and Regional Studies, and covered by global media outlets such as Nature (News), Science (Careers), Scientific American, and Forbes.

Publications

  • Gao, J. , & Wang, D. (2024). Quantifying the use and potential benefits of artificial intelligence in scientific research. Nature Human Behaviour, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-02020-5
  • Cao, Y., Zhou, T.*, & Gao, J.* (2024). Heterogeneous peer effects of college roommates on academic performance. Nature Communications, 15(1), 4785 (*: corresponding author). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49228-7
  • Gao, J. , Yin, Y., Myers, K. R., Lakhani, K. R., & Wang, D. (2021). Potentially long-lasting effects of the pandemic on scientists. Nature Communications, 12(1), 6188. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26428-z
  • Yin, Y.#, Gao, J.# , Jones, B. F., & Wang, D. (2021). Coevolution of policy and science during the pandemic. Science, 371(6525), 128-130 (#: contributed equally). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abe3084
  • Gao, J.* , Jun, B., Pentland, A. S., Zhou, T., & Hidalgo, C. A.* (2021). Spillovers across industries and regions in China's regional economic diversification. Regional Studies, 55(7), 1311-1326 (*: corresponding author). https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1883191
  • Gao, J. , Zhang, Y. C., & Zhou, T. (2019). Computational socioeconomics. Physics Reports, 817, 1-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2019.05.002

Honor (fellowship, award, honorary appointments)

  • Top 25 most-read Social Sciences and Human Behaviour Articles published in Nature Communications, 2021
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Physics: Complexity, 2021 Provincial Excellent Graduate Student (Top 1%)
  • Provincial Excellent Graduate Student (Top 1%), Education Department of Sichuan, China, 2019
  • Best Poster Award in the NetSciX Conference on Network Science, 2018
  • Outstanding Students of the University (Top 10), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), 2012

Key Community Services

  • Journal Reviewer: Nature, Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Communications, Research, 2021-2024
  • Grant Reviewer: The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), 2022-2023
  • Program Committee Member: International Conference on the Science of Science and Innovation (ICSSI), 2023