Dr. Wenhao Gao

Biography

Wenhao Gao is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, beginning his appointment in January 2027. He is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University and holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he focused on integrating generative artificial intelligence into chemical synthesis to accelerate the design of novel functional molecules. His academic journey includes a B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University and an M.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Gao's research encompasses computational techniques that advance molecular discovery, specializing in machine learning, generative modeling, molecular modeling, and molecular design. His work contributes significantly to applications in therapeutics, sustainability, and energy. He aims to develop effective algorithms for the inverse design of molecules and materials and to leverage large-scale models that enhance structure-property relationship modeling. His long-term goals include systematizing and accelerating the design of chemical products and processes. Gao's research group sits at the intersection of chemical engineering, computer science, and chemistry, seeking to reimagine chemical discovery in an era influenced by artificial intelligence.

Research Interests

Awards