H. Oliver Gao

H. Oliver Gao is the Howard Simpson 1942 Professor of Engineering at Cornell University and director of Cornell's Systems Engineering Program. He also directs the Center for Transportation, Environment, and Community Health (CTECH) and leads the Global Analytics Observatory, a research hub for systems innovation across climate, infrastructure and public health.

His research applies data science and systems analytics to sustainable urban development, spanning transportation and infrastructure systems, air quality and exposure risk, energy and climate policy, and public health analytics. Recent work ranges from clean-technology assessment and low-emission mobility to AI-driven digital twins for city planning.

Within AI for Cities he sets the research agenda, connects the group to Cornell's wider systems and infrastructure community, and advises on how modelling work translates into policy and deployment.