H. Oliver Gao, Ph.D.
Howard Simpson Professor of Engineering
Director, Center for Transportation, Environment, and Community Health (CTECH)
Cornell University
Dr. H. Oliver Gao is a globally recognized scholar-practitioner whose work sits at the nexus of mobility systems, environmental sustainability, infrastructure operations, and community health. As Director of CTECH, he leads a major university-transportation research center that brings together engineering, data science, public policy, and health sciences to address complex socio-technical systems challenges in transport, environment and wellbeing.
CTECH under Gao’s leadership focuses on ensuring that transportation systems serve not just mobility metrics, but community health outcomes, environmental justice, and climate resilience. His dual expertise in engineering systems and public health enables him to translate operational and information-technology innovations into improved systems performance and human well-being.
Leadership & Strategic Impact
Since taking the helm of CTECH, Gao has:
- Directed cross-institutional research with multiple universities, industry partners and governmental agencies, producing impactful work in freight mobility, air quality modelling, and community health in urban and rural settings.
- Spearheaded integration of advanced analytics, modelling, and digital infrastructure into transportation–environment–health systems, positioning the Centre as a leader in data-driven operations and network design.
- Fostered translational research: large-scale projects where smart infrastructure, sensor data, and system optimization deliver real operational and public health impact.
- Built partnerships with private sector mobility companies, governmental agencies, and non-profits, aligning technical systems engineering with community-centric outcomes and strategic operational goals.
Research & Scholarship
Gao’s research at CTECH addresses how transportation networks, environmental conditions, and human health systems interconnect. Employing advanced system-of-systems modelling, digital twin frameworks, and data-driven decision architectures, his work has influenced policy and infrastructure design in areas such as:
- Freight corridor optimization tied to emissions and health outcomes
- Urban mobility resilience in climate-sensitive contexts
- Infrastructure monitoring and operational adaptation for vulnerable communities
With more than $20 million in research funding and a track record of publishing in high-impact journals, Gao’s scholarship combines operational analytics, information systems design, and human-centric outcomes.
Interview with Oliver Gao
On Leading CTECH
“At CTECH, we treat transportation not just as mobility, but as a system embedded in environment and health—so the operational question is how we design, monitor and manage transport networks to serve people and the planet.”
On Technology & Systems
“The convergence of IoT, digital twin, AI and network operations offers an opportunity—if we lead it with systems thinking—to transform infrastructure into responsive, healthy systems.”
On Business & Operational Strategy
“These are complex networks with multiple stakeholders and data flows. My role is to create the architecture—technical and organizational—so that business, policy, engineering and health align and drive measurable impact.”
Looking Ahead
“The future of mobility is no longer simply faster or lower-cost—it is healthier, equitable, resilient and sustainable. To deliver that, we need engineers, managers and technologists who understand systems not just as machines, but as ecosystems of information, flow and human wellbeing.”
Outside his academic role, Gao finds renewal in nature—hiking the gorges, kayaking on Cayuga Lake, playing squash, and cooking with his family. “Those experiences remind me that systems are everywhere—and that operational excellence is rooted in harmony, not just optimization.”
