糖心原创

School of Physics & Astronomy
 

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Yang Gao

Mansfield Fellow in UHF scanning,

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Biography

Dr Yang Gao is a Mansfield Fellow in Ultra-High Field MRI at the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, 糖心原创. In 2019, He received his PhD from Zhejiang University, China. Since 2022, He has been working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering and Hangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, China. His current research focuses on developing advanced RF transmission and excitation strategies for ultra-high-field MRI, with particular emphasis on beam-controlled and wave-aware RF propagation.

His work bridges electromagnetic engineering, MRI physics, and neuroscience, and includes pioneering studies on travelling-wave MRI using engineered dielectric structures. Dr Gao's research contributes to high-resolution brain imaging and has broader impact across neuroscience, materials science, and electromagnetic device engineering.

Research Summary

My current research focuses on developing new radiofrequency (RF) transmission and excitation strategies for ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At magnetic field strengths of 7 tesla… read more

Selected Publications

  • YANG GAO, TONG LIU, TAO HONG, YOUTONG FANG, WEN JIANG and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2024. Nature Communications. 15(1), 2298
  • YANG GAO and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2022. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. 41(11), 3432-3444
  • YANG GAO, AZMA MAREYAM, YUN SUN, THOMAS WITZEL, NICOLAS ARANGO, IRENE KUANG, JACOB WHITE, ANNA WANG ROE, LARRY WALD, JASON STOCKMANN and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2020. NeuroImage. 207,
  • YANG GAO, PINYI WANG, MEIZHEN QIAN, JIE ZHAO, HANGZHE XU and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2019. Physics in Medicine and Biology. 64(3),

Current Research

My current research focuses on developing new radiofrequency (RF) transmission and excitation strategies for ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). At magnetic field strengths of 7 tesla and above, RF wavelengths become comparable to human anatomy, meaning that electromagnetic wave behaviour plays a dominant role in image quality, efficiency, and safety. Conventional MRI hardware and pulse design methods often treat these wave effects as artefacts to be corrected rather than physical phenomena that can be deliberately controlled.

I am developing a beam-controlled and wave-aware RF transmission framework that explicitly engineers how RF energy propagates within the human body. This work aims to control propagation direction, coherence, and polarisation to create a more uniform and predictable baseline RF transmission environment. By improving the underlying RF transmission, this approach can reduce unwanted interference, simplify RF pulse optimisation, and enhance robustness to subject variation and system imperfections.

My research combines electromagnetic theory, RF hardware development, and experimental validation on ultra-high-field MRI systems. I explore engineered wave-carrying structures, antenna and coil designs, and both single-channel and multi-channel transmission strategies. A key goal is to provide RF excitation solutions that are compatible with existing MRI systems and suitable for safe and reliable use in research and clinical settings.

In the longer term, this work aims to translate advanced RF transmission concepts into broader neuroscience and clinical applications, supporting high-resolution brain imaging and more robust MRI at ultra-high field.

  • SIHONG PAN, MIAO YU, TONG LIU, XIAOTONG ZHANG and YANG GAO, 2026. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters. 25(3), 1264 - 1268
  • WEN, ZICHENG, SOLOMAKHA, GEORGIY, GLYBOVSKI, STANISLAV, ZHANG, XIAOTONG and GAO, YANG, 2026. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.
  • LU, YIBU, WANG, QILONG, LIU, CHUNYI, SOLOMAKHA, GEORGIY A, GLYBOVSKI, STANISLAV B, REN, ZHIHUA, ZHANG, XIAOTONG and GAO, YANG, 2026. IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.
  • CHEN, HAIWEI, GUO, LEI, LOU, FEIYANG, GAO, YANG, QUAN, ZHIYAN, LIU, CHUNYI, BOULANT, NICOLAS, LIU, FENG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2025. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. 73(5), 2766-2779
  • EGOROVA, SVETLANA S, LISACHENKO, NIKOLAI A, KRETOV, EGOR I, GAO, YANG, ZHANG, XIAOTONG, GLYBOVSKI, STANISLAV B and SOLOMAKHA, GEORGIY A, 2025. IEEE Access. 13, 23120-23130
  • QIAN, MEIZHEN, WANG, JIANBAO, GAO, YANG, CHEN, MING, LIU, YIN, ZHOU, DENGFENG, LU, HAIDONG D, ZHANG, XIAOTONG, HU, JIA MING and ROE, ANNA WANG, 2025. Nature Neuroscience. 28(1), 137-149
  • WANG, YUHAO, CHEN, HAIWEI, GAO, YANG, QUAN, ZHIYAN, PAN, SIHONG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2024. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. 1-9
  • YANG GAO, TONG LIU, TAO HONG, YOUTONG FANG, WEN JIANG and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2024. Nature Communications. 15(1), 2298
  • WANG, YUHAO, CHEN, HAIWEI, GAO, YANG, QUAN, ZHIYAN, PAN, SIHONG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2024. A Hilbert Dipoles-Based Hybrid Metasurface for Ultrahigh-Field MRI IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. 73(7), 4044-4052
  • CHEN, HAIWEI, GUO, LEI, LOU, FEIYANG, GAO, YANG, QUAN, ZHIYAN, LIU, CHUNYI, BOULANT, NICOLAS, LIU, FENG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2024. Asymmetrical Planar Folded Dipole Antennas for Human Body MRI at 7 T IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. 73(5), 2766-2779
  • QUAN, ZHIYAN, TANG, XIAOCUI, SHANG, HAIFANG, PAN, SIHONG, CHEN, HAIWEI, TANG, YI, GAO, YANG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2023. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. 72, 1-7
  • LOU, FEIYANG, TANG, XIAOCUI, QUAN, ZHIYAN, QIAN, MEIZHEN, WANG, JIANBAO, QU, SHUXIAN, GAO, YANG, WANG, YUEMING, PAN, GANG, LAI, HSIN-YI and OTHERS, 2023. A 16-channel loop array for in vivo macaque whole-brain imaging at 7 T Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 102, 179-183
  • QU, SHUXIAN, SHI, SUNHANG, QUAN, ZHIYAN, GAO, YANG, WANG, MINMIN, WANG, YUEMING, PAN, GANG, LAI, HSIN-YI, ROE, ANNA WANG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2023. Design and application of a multimodality-compatible 1Tx/6Rx RF coil for monkey brain MRI at 7T NeuroImage. 276, 120185
  • QUAN, ZHIYAN, TANG, XIAOCUI, SHANG, HAIFANG, PAN, SIHONG, CHEN, HAIWEI, TANG, YI, GAO, YANG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2023. A detachable and rotatable 14-channel coil array for human brain intraoperative/interventional MRI at 3 t IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. 72, 1-7
  • YANG GAO and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2022. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. 41(11), 3432-3444
  • MILHAM, MICHAEL, PETKOV, CHRIS, BELIN, PASCAL, HAMED, SULIANN BEN, EVRARD, HENRY, FAIR, DAMIEN, FOX, ANDREW, FROUDIST-WALSH, SEAN, HAYASHI, TAKUYA, KASTNER, SABINE and OTHERS, 2022. Toward next-generation primate neuroscience: A collaboration-based strategic plan for integrative neuroimaging Neuron. 110(1), 16-20
  • WANG, SHENGHANG, ZHENG, MENGXUAN, LOU, CHENGE, CHEN, SHUAI, GUO, HUIJIE, GAO, YANG, LV, HUANHUAN, YUAN, XICHEN, ZHANG, XIAOTONG and SHANG, PENG, 2022. Evaluating the biological safety on mice at 16 T static magnetic field with 700 MHz radio-frequency electromagnetic field Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 230, 113125
  • ZHANG, YI, GAO, YANG, FANG, KE, YE, JINGJING, RUAN, YINGHENG, YANG, XIAOJUN, ZHANG, YI, THOMPSON, GARTH, CHEN, GAO and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2022. Proton/deuterium magnetic resonance imaging of rodents at 9.4 T using birdcage coils Bioelectromagnetics. 43(1), 40-46
  • ZHENG, MENGXUAN, GAO, YANG, QUAN, ZHIYAN and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2022. The design and evaluation of single-channel loopole coils at 7T MRI Physics in Medicine & Biology. 67(19), 195003
  • QU, SHUXIAN, GAO, YANG, ZHAO, JIE, SUN, YI and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2022. Attachable DC coil array for improved functional MRI at 7T IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology. 7(1), 46-51
  • ZHAO, JIE, CHEN, WEIDAO, LIU, CHUNYI, GAO, YANG, CHEN, XIAODONG, CHEN, GANG, XIA, LING, DAI, YAKANG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2022. Automatic macaque brain segmentation based on 7T MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 92, 232-242
  • ZHAO, A JIE, LIU, B CHUNYI, GAO, C YANG, QUAN, D ZHIYAN, XIA, E LING and ZHANG, F XIAOTONG, 2021. Evaluation of high-dielectric pads for macaque brain imaging at 7 T Review of Scientific Instruments. 92(10),
  • YANG GAO, AZMA MAREYAM, YUN SUN, THOMAS WITZEL, NICOLAS ARANGO, IRENE KUANG, JACOB WHITE, ANNA WANG ROE, LARRY WALD, JASON STOCKMANN and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2020. NeuroImage. 207,
  • QUAN, ZHIYAN, GAO, YANG, QU, SHUXIAN, WANG, XIAOJIE, FRIEDMAN, ROBERT M, CHERNOV, MYKYTA M, KROENKE, CHRISTOPHER D, ROE, ANNA WANG and ZHANG, XIAOTONG, 2020. A 16-channel loop array for in vivo macaque whole-brain imaging at 3 T Magnetic resonance imaging. 68, 167-172
  • MILHAM, MICHAEL, PETKOV, CHRISTOPHER I, MARGULIES, DANIEL S, SCHROEDER, CHARLES E, BASSO, MICHELE A, BELIN, PASCAL, FAIR, DAMIEN A, FOX, ANDREW, KASTNER, SABINE, MARS, ROGIER B and OTHERS, 2020. Accelerating the evolution of nonhuman primate neuroimaging Neuron. 105(4), 600-603
  • ZHANG, XIAOTONG, ZHANG, JIALU, GAO, YANG, QIAN, MEIZHEN, QU, SHUXIAN, QUAN, ZHIYAN, YU, MIAO, CHEN, XIAOMING, WANG, YUEMING, PAN, GANG and OTHERS, 2020. A 16-channel dense array for in vivo animal cortical MRI/fMRI on 7T human scanners IEEE Transactions on biomedical engineering. 68(5), 1611-1618
  • YANG GAO, PINYI WANG, MEIZHEN QIAN, JIE ZHAO, HANGZHE XU and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2019. Physics in Medicine and Biology. 64(3),
  • YANG GAO, WEIDAO CHEN and XIAOTONG ZHANG, 2018. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging. 37(7), 1723-1732

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