Huajian Gao is one of the Distinguished University Professors at Nanyang Technological University and Scientific Director of the Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore. He received his B.S. degree from Xi'an Jiaotong University in China and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University.

His research has been focused on the understanding of basic principles that control mechanical behaviors of materials in both engineering and biological systems. His current research interests include mechanics of materials and an emerging paradigm shift from the classical objectives of the field in passive descriptions of materials behaviors toward proactive programming of materials properties and functionalities during the manufacturing process by leveraging the fundamental mechanics principles.

He numerous awards include the Timoshenko Medal (2021) and Rodney Hill Prize (2012), two of the highest lifetime achievement awards in his field. He is a Member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences, U.S. National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences and German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and a Foreign Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea.