Prof. Yong Gao

Prof. Yong Gao received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Wuhan University, China, in 1990, and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Alberta, Canada, in 1998. After spending two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, Dr. Gao joined the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences at Southern Illinois University in 2000. He rose from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor to full Professor.  Dr. Gao was a recipient of a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation, and he also founded two startup companies. His primary research is the development of novel polymer membranes for electrical devices.