Prof. Hanyu GAO Selected as 2026 ACS PMSE Early Investigator

Prof. Hanyu GAO, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been selected as a 2026 Early Investigator by the American Chemical Society's Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (ACS PMSE). This award selects 24 outstanding emerging researchers worldwide who have achieved significant impact in polymer science. Recipients will be recognized and invited to present their work at the ACS Fall Meeting in Chicago.

This prestigious award recognizes Prof. Gao's pioneering contributions to the field of computational polymer science and engineering. His research is at the forefront of integrating polymer chemistry, reaction engineering, data science, and machine learning to tackle one of the field's most significant challenges: navigating the vast design space of polymers to enable predictive and systematic materials design.

To bridge simulation and data-driven discovery, Prof. Gao developed a Scaling Acceleration Algorithm for kinetic Monte Carlo that cuts computational costs by two orders of magnitude while preserving predictive accuracy, enabling simulations of polymerization kinetics and sequence distributions at previously unattainable scales. His team uses this framework to rationally design conditions for target molecular weights and sequences. They have also pushed the boundaries of de novo polymer design by developing LLM-based tools to automate literature data extraction, property prediction and inverse design. These tools have enabled the generation of new polymer materials with desired properties.

"I am incredibly honored to receive this recognition from ACS PMSE," said Prof. Gao. "This award is a testament to the hard work of my research group and our shared vision of transforming polymer design from an empirical art into a predictive science.”

Looking ahead, Prof. Gao's group aims to fully realize a closed-loop framework for computationally guided polymer design, where information extraction, property prediction, monomer discovery, and polymerization design operate in concert to accelerate materials development. As the demand for sustainable and high-performance polymeric materials continues to grow, Prof. Gao's research is poised to make lasting contributions to both fundamental polymer science and industrial applications.