Key details
Professor James Gao
Emeritus Professor of Manufacturing Engineering
- 2026: Emeritus Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich
- 2006-2025: Medway Chair of Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich
- 1993-2006: Lecturer/Senior lecturer, School of Industrial and Manufacturing Science, Cranfield University (1994-2000; Director of MSc in CAD/CAM)
- 1989-93: Post-doctoral research fellow, Loughborough University of Technology
- 1987-89: PhD student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
Recognition
- Chaired/co-chaired international conferences
- Coordinator of the Manufacturing Industry Focus Group in the Southeast and London area
- Committee member, Consortium of UK Manufacturing Engineering (COMEH)
- Invited keynote speaker at various international conferences and industrial events
- Edited special issues of international journals and conference proceedings
- Peer reviewer of research grant applications of UK and EU research councils
Editorial board memberships
- Associate editor, Proceedings of the IMechE, Part B - Journal of Engineering manufacture.
- International Journal of Product Design
- International Journal of Engineering Business Management
- International Journal of CAD and Applications
Research / Scholarly interests
Professor James Gao is a world-class academic with an international reputation in manufacturing engineering. He has directed a large number of research and innovation projects sponsored by UK/EU research councils and technology-leading companies in manufacturing and related sectors. Professor Gao is particularly interested in the following research topics:
- Digital / smart manufacturing including
- Collaborative product development with global supply chains
- Manufacturing information and knowledge management
- Automation, industrial robotics and artificial intelligence in manufacturing
- Product lifecycle management (PLM) including maintenance and services
- Lean and sustainable manufacturing including quality issues
- Design for manufacturing and assembly.
Professor James Gao led the Greenwich team in a £4m collaborative project funded by the European Commission's Interreg (France Channel Manche England) entitled "Improving The Design of Flexible and Responsive Manufacturing Systems Involving Autonomous Collaborative Robots". He also co-led the overall project involving four industrial and five academic partners. Visit www.corot-project.org for more Information about this project.