Research Interests and Areas of Specialization
His research interest is mainly in the areas of geophysics and tectonics. For years, he has been dedicated to studies of deep seismic reflection probing to document the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau, as well as the lithospheric deformation and related tectonic attributions of other continental blocks. He has paid lots of attention to the combined studies between geophysics and geology to address tectonic problems. 
•    In total, he led his research team to have completed 16,000km-long deep seismic reflection profiles within the Chinese Mainland. The results have contributed greatly to understanding the deep crustal architecture of the continent. The “Science” journal has highly evaluated these seismic achievements as being outstanding.
•    He and his research team have completed an integrated geophysical exploration for three Global Geoscience Transects (GGT, scale 1:1000,000) within the Tibetan Plateau. The total length has reached 3500km.

Education 
1997.2-1997.6 Potsdam Geoscience Center, Germany, Professional training of International Continental Science Deep Drilling Program (certificate issued) ; 
1978.9-1981.12 Changchun Institute of Geology, Master of Engineering, Applied Geophysics Major; 
1974.7-1977.7 Changchun Institute of Geology, Undergraduate, Metallic and Nonmetallic Geophysical Exploration Major

Career Experience
2016 till now, Professor, School of Earth Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University  
2017-2019, Director, Deputy Director (2019), Academic Committee of Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS) 
2010-2019, Director of Key Laboratory of Deep Exploration and Geodynamics, (CAGS)
2012-2019, Director of Key Laboratory of Deep Exploration and Geodynamics, MINISTRY of Land and Resources  
1994-2016, Director, Center for Lithospheric Research, Institute of Geology, (CAGS, promoted as Research Fellow in 1994)
1986-1994, Center for Lithospheric Studies, CAGS (promoted as associate Research Fellow in 1987)  
1984-1986, Engineer of Deep Geology Office, Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources of China  
1981-1984, Engineer, Geophysical Laboratory, Institute of Deposit Geology, CAGS
1978-1981, Changchun Institute of Geology (now Jilin University), applied geophysics master (paid)  
1977-1978, Technician of hydrogeology Brigade of Jilin Provincial 
1974-1977, Studied in the department of Geophysics in Changchun Institute of Geology (now Jilin University)  
1968-1974, Intellectual Youth of No.8 Commune, Yushu County, Jilin Province (starting from length of service)  

Academic Achievements (Maijor):

• Published over 380 research articles. He was the first author and corresponding author for more than 150 of them, fifty of which have appeared in SCI journals like Nature Geoscience, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (EPSL), Geology, Tectonics, Tectonophysics, Lithosphere, etc.
• Presented and named a new crustal-scale architecture of “face-to-face collision” between West Kunlun of northern Tibet and Tarim block of Eurasia
• Proposed the collision process and deep deformation between Indo-Eurasian plate along the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone, indicating Indian crust has unevenly underthrusted beneath Eurasia and the subduction Angle is slow in the west and steep in the east-central.  
• Named the North Border Thrust bounding the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and interpreted the Longriba fault zone as being the western margin of the Yangtze crystalline basement. These new study results provide deep constraints on the geodynamic evolution of northern and eastern Tibet.
• Recognized a blind paleo-subduction zone beneath the Sichuan basin, indicating a deep deformation in association with the paleo-tectonic amalgamation within the Yangtze craton.
• Published 16 monographs as an editor and/or co-author 
• Received the first and second prize of Sciences and Technology Advancement Award of Ministry of Land and Resources for 6 times.

Research Projects 
(1) Gao Rui, 2018 -- 2023, "South China (Lian Zhou) -South China Sea (Palawan) lithosphere section and its resource environment", 2017ZT07Z066. "Pearl River Talent Plan" project  
(2) Gao Rui, 2016 -- 2022, High resolution deep seismic survey and research of lithospheric cross section structure and deformation in the northeastern Margin of The Tibetan Plateau, No.41590863, NSFC  
(3) 2015 -- 2021, Gao Rui, Fine structure and deep deformation of the lithosphere in the northeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and its adjacent craton basin tectonic transition region, 41430213, NSFC 
(4) 2008-2014, Gao Rui, Deep seismic reflection profile probe experiment and crustal structure research, No. Sinoprobe-2, China National Special Project for Deep Exploration  

Courses Taught
(1) The first Lesson for Freshmen (2017)  
(2) Geophysics and Deep Tectonics (Introduction to Earth Sciences)  
(3) Introduction to Geophysics (Undergraduate and Graduate)  
(4) Seismology - active and passive seismic survey and tectonic interpretation  

Selected Publications
（1）Zewei Wang, Dapeng Zhao, Xiaofei Chen*, Rui Gao**, Subducting slabs, Hainan plume and intraplate volcanism in SE Asia: Insight from P-wave mantle tomography, Tectonophysics. 831 (2022) ：229-329
（2）Shuang-Shuang Chen, Seung-Gu Lee, Saule Simute, Andreas Fichtner, Tae Jong Lee, Youn-Soo Lee, Jia-Qi Liu, Rui Gao*,  Geochemical and seismic tomography constraints of two-layer magma chambers beneath the bimodal volcanism: A case study of late Cenozoic volcanic rocks from Ulleung Island and Mt. Changbai (Paektu)，Chemical Geology，581 (2021) ：120-386
（3）Huang X, Gao R*, Li W, Xiong X. 2020. Seismic reflection evidence of crustal duplexing and lithospheric underthrusting beneath the western Qilian Mountains, northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Science China Earth Sciences, 63, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-020-9677-y
（4）Huilin Li, RuiGao,* and YanghuaWang，Predicting the thickness of sand strata in a sand-shale interbed reservoir based on seismic facies analysis，Journal of Geophysics and Engineering， (2020) 0：1–10
（5）Guo L, Gao R, Shi L, et al. Crustal thickness and Poisson's ratios of South China revealed from joint inversion of receiver function and gravity data. Earth and planetary science letters. 2019, 510: 142-152.
（6）Hongqiang Li, Rui Gao*, Wenhui Li, Zhanwu Lu⁎,The Moho structure beneath the Yarlung Zangbo Suture and its implications: Evidence from large dynamite shots，Tectonophysics 747–748 (2018) ：390–401
（7）Ye, Z., Li, J., Gao, R*., Song, X., Li, Q., Li, Y., Li, W. Crustal and uppermost mantle structure across the Tibet-Qinling transition zone in NE Tibet: Implications for material extrusion beneath the Tibetan Plateau. Geophysical Research Letters. 2017. 44. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075141.
（8）Xiaoyu Guo, Wenhui L1*, Rui Gao*, Xiao Xu, Hongqiang Li, Xingfu Huang, Zhuo Ye, Zhanwu Lu, Simon L. Klemperer. Nonuniform subduction of the Indian crust beneath the Himalayas. Scientific Report. 2017. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12908-0.
（9）Gao R, Lu Z, Klemperer S L, et al. Crustal-scale duplexing beneath the Yarlung Zangbo suture in the western Himalaya. Nature Geoscience. 2016, 9 (7): 555-560. 
（10）Xiaoyu Guo, Rui Gao*, Xiao Xu, G. Randy Keller, An Yin, Xiaosong Xiong, Longriba fault zone in eastern Tibet: An important tectonic boundary marking the westernmost edge of the Yangtze block, Tectonics, 2015, 34,                   Doi: 10.1002/2015TC003880.
（11）Gao R, Wang H, Zeng L, et al. The crust structures and the connection of the Songpan block and West Qinling orogen revealed by the Hezuo-Tangke deep seismic reflection profiling. Tectonophysics. 2014, 634: 227-236.
（12）Gao R, Chen C, Lu Z, et al. New constraints on crustal structure and Moho topography in Central Tibet revealed by SinoProbe deep seismic reflection profiling. Tectonophysics. 2013, 606(SI): 160-170. 
（13）Gao R, Wang H, Yin A, et al. Tectonic development of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau as constrained by high-resolution deep seismic-reflection data. Lithosphere. 2013, 5(6): 555-574. 
（14）Gao R, Hou H, Cai X, et al. Fine crustal structure beneath the junction of the southwest Tian Shan and Tarim Basin, NW China. Lithosphere. 2013, 5(4): 382-392. 

Awards
(1) 2019: Awarded by the National Government special Subsidy for Natural Science research  
(2) 2013: First Prize of Land resources Science and Technology, 8th winner 
(3) 2012: First Prize of and resources Science and Technology, second winner  
(4) 2004: Second Prize of Land resources Science and Technology, the first winner

 
Academic service
(1) Member of the council (2002~2017), Chinese Geophysical Society, Member of the council (2019~), Chinese Geological Society, Member and Executive Member of the council (2002~), Chinese Society of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Studies;  
(2) Member and Executive Member of the council, Secretary-general (2002~2019), honorary Director (2019~) , Beijing Geophysical Society;  
(3) Editorial Board of China Science (Earth Science Edition) (2010~2012), Editorial Board of China Geology and Geological Bulletin (2002~), Executive Editorial Board of Earth Sciences (2002~), Editorial Board of Journal of Sun Yat-sen University (Natural Science Edition) (2019~)