Dr. Jian Gao is a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Science of Science and Innovation (CSSI), and Management & Organizations (MORS) Department, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA. He is also affiliated with the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO). He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Kellogg CSSI (2019-2021), working with Prof. Dashun Wang. Before joining Kellogg, he was a researcher at The MIT Media Lab (2016-2017), working with Prof. César A. Hidalgo.

His research interests lie in the interdisciplinary fields of Computational Socioeconomics and the Science of Science, focusing on understanding complex social and economic systems. He develops computational approaches to study how science interacts with social institutions, from public policy to new technology to pharmaceutical innovation. Meanwhile, his research examines equity and sustainability of the workforce that drives research, innovation, and economic prosperity. In particular, his works recognize the crucial fact that solutions to many of the challenges facing society today rely on science.

Results from his research have yielded a range of generalizable insights, which hold implications for understanding the role and impact of science beyond science and for promoting an equitable and sustainable research workforce. He has published 20+ peer-reviewed articles in top journals such as Science, Nature, Physics Reports, Nature Communications, and Regional Studies. His works have received 850+ citations with the H-index 16 and been covered by popular media such as Scientific American and Forbes.

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