Welcome to Dr Yangming Gao's Research Group!

Dr Yangming Gao is currently working as a Senior Lecturer in Highway Engineering at the School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment of Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Prior to that, he was a Marie Curie Research Fellow in the Section of Pavement Engineering of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences at Delft University of Technology. Yangming received his PhD degree in Civil Engineering from Aston University in March 2020. He was awarded BEng and MEng degrees from Hefei University of Technology, China.

Yangming's research is focused on understanding, predicting and optimising the mechanical response of infrastructure materials. He combines theoretical development, experimental characterisation and computational modelling to develop mechanistic models that can reliably capture material deformation, damage and fracture. His research interests include

• Molecular simulations and microscopic characterisation for design and qualification of durable and net zero pavement materials;

• Multiscale mechanics and multiphysics modelling for coastal urban infrastructure's climate resilience; and

• Smart (self-sensing and self-healing) materials and data-driven monitoring for digital and safe transport infrastructure.

Yangming has an internationally recognised track record of publications (more than 40 papers) in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. He now serves as a Young Academic Editor for the Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition) (Impact Factor 7.9) and a Guest Editor of several international journals such as MDPI Polymers (Impact Factor 5.0) and Frontiers in Energy Research. He also serves on the technical committee (278-CHA, Crack-Healing of Asphalt Pavement Materials) of the RILEM and is an active member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), Academy of Pavement Science and Engineering (APSE), and International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP). Yangming was also actively involved in organising academic conferences and was invited as a Scientific/Technical committee member or session chair at several international conferences. Dr Gao is a recipient of the 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Individual Fellowships, the 2020 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad and the 2019 ARMOURERS & BRASIERS’ Prize.

*We are currently seeking PhD students and post-docs to join our group at LJMU. More

• [21/02/2024] A new paper "Nanostructure and damage characterisation of bitumen under a low cycle strain-controlled fatigue load based on molecular simulations and rheological measurements" was published in Composites Part B: Engineering.

• [21/02/2024] Our research on self-sensing asphalt was reported by Liverpool John Moores University Press. Next-gen smart road surfaces prove potential. 

• [03/02/2024] A new paper "Electrical characteristics and conductivity mechanism of self-sensing asphalt concrete" was published in Construction and Building Materials.

Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Aston University, Birmingham, UK, 2017 - 2020

M.Eng., Transportation Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China, 2013 - 2016

B.Eng., Traffic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, China, 2009 - 2013

04/2023 - present,  Senior Lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

04/2021 - 03/2023, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

06/2022 - 08/2022, Visiting Scholar, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

01/2021 - 04/2021, Visiting Scholar, The University of Nottingham, UK

04/2020 - 12/2020, Research Assistant, Aston University, UK

Guest Editor, MDPI Polymers

Special Issue "Multiscale–Multiphysics Modelling and Characterisation of Multiphase Polymer-Based Bituminous Materials"

Guest Editor, Frontiers in Energy Research

Special Issue "Sustainable Pavements: Technologies and Assessments for Renewable Energy Harvesting and Application" 

Guest Editor, MDPI Materials 

Special Issue "Advances in Regenerated Asphalt Mixtures" 

Guest Editor, JTTE Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition) 

Special Issue "Mechanics and Modelling for Resilient Road Infrastructure and Materials"