Hai Yao joined the faculty of Clemson Bioengineering in 2006 after his postdoctoral training at Georgia Tech. He is the interim director of the Clemson-MUSC Joint Bioengineering Program and holds a dual appointment at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Yao received his BS (1991) and PhD (1996) in Mechanical Engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University in China and his PhD (2004) in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Miami.
Dr. Yao’s primary research interests relate to the biomechanical function, degeneration and regeneration of skeletal tissues. Current research areas include biomechanical mechanisms of cell-mediated tissue degeneration, novel imaging techniques for nondestructive assessment of skeletal tissue composition and structure, and interactions between mechanical, electrical, chemical and matrix-supplied cues in controlling the development of functional engineered tissues. Dr. Yao’s group has made seminal contributions to the fields of cartilage/bone biomechanics and regeneration. His team’s work has contributed to the world’s first demonstration of a functional full synovial joint regeneration (Lancet, 2010). He serves on an NIH study section and an Engineering Panel for the National Research Council of the National Academies. He is a highly sought mentor for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. His predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellow have been awarded the NIH F31, AHA predoctoral Fellowship, NSF graduate fellowships, and an NIH K99. His junior faculty mentees have been awarded the NIH R01, R03, CTR and the AHA Career.
