Dr. Gao is a world-renowned researcher and educator in geomatics engineering whose pioneering work has made a worldwide impact on the successful development, wide range use and commercialization of high-precision global navigation satellite systems. He has disseminated his knowledge through hundreds of technical publications and mentorship of scores of graduate students. His contributions have been recognized by major national and international awards and election to fellowships of the Engineering Institute of Canada, US Institute of Navigation, UK Royal Institute of Navigation. He has provided leadership in Canadian and international communities and is President-Elect of the Canadian Institute of Geomatics.