Bruce Z. Gao joined the University in
2003; he received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami and his M.S. in applied laser physics and B.S. in physical electronics and optoelectronics from Tianjin University. Dr. Gao was awarded the 2015 McQueen Quattlebaum Award, the highest honor given to professors by the university, in recognition of high achievement related to the engineering discipline. He was awarded the 2005 and 2008 Clemson University Board of Trustees Award For Faculty Excellence. Dr. Gao was awarded a Career Award from the National Institutes of Health and the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities. and has served on a number of committees within the Department of Bioengineering, including the undergraduate curriculum committee and the graduate admissions committee. He has a joint appointment in the Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies, an interdisciplinary unit of the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University.
Dr. Gao’s research is focused on cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions under engineered microenvironments. He has developed a number of lab-on-chip assays: Using a micro laser beam to place individual cells into an engineered microniche and then using lab-developed coherence-based (e.g., OCT or digital holography) and nonlinear optics-based (e.g., two-photon or second-harmonic-generation confocal) imaging techniques to assess biological interactions at the molecular and cellular level. The data are used to address questions in areas such as stem cell therapy for heart disease and developmental toxicity-related neurodegenerative diseases.
