Prof. Zhao joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at OSU in January 2008 after 12 years (1995 to 2007) as a materials scientist and project/team leader at GE Global Research in Niskayuna/Schenectady, NY. His research focuses are on high-throughput materials science methodologies, phase diagrams, computational thermodynamics, diffusion, design of advanced alloys and coatings, and hydrogen storage materials. In addition to many materials innovations, he developed a diffusion-multiple approach and co-developed several associated materials property microscopy tools for accelerated materials discovery and development. Zhao was elected a Fellow of ASM International in 2003. He holds 48 US patents with 16 more pending. Zhao serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion and on the Editorial Board of Advanced Engineering Materials (Wiley), Intermetallics (Elsevier), Rare Metals (Springer), and Progress in Natural Science: Materials International (Elsevier). He was one of the four Meeting Chairs for the entire MRS Fall Meeting in 2009 that attracted more than 6,200 attendees. His innovations were featured in news, covers and a cover story in Nature, Chemical and Engineering News, MRS Bulletin, Advanced Engineering Materials, and Review of Scientific Instruments. Prof. Zhao has twice been invited by the National Academy of Engineering to the selective Frontiers of Engineering Symposia (U.S. 2008, U.S.-China 2009). Zhao was the 2001 winner of the prestigious Hull Award from GE Global Research and was cited “for his leadership skills in advancing innovative, state-of-the-art development methodologies that aim to decrease cycle time for materials discovery while increasing robustness of the work. He also was recognized for his expertise and leadership regarding the critical nature of coatings and high temperature materials, and for his enormous energy and perseverance in solving real business challenges.”

Since January 2014, Prof. Zhao has been on a three-year assignment as a Program Director at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). ARPA-E is a DARPA equivalent organization funding disruptive technologies for DOE.