Gao leads the green building team in the Built Environment Research and Innovation Institute (BERII) at BCA. The team works on planning, developing and implementing innovative solutions for green buildings through driving R&D, testbedding and demonstration. This include the S$ 52 million Green Buildings Innovation Cluster (GBIC) programme, BCA SkyLab project, and the Zero Energy Building projects in BCA and beyond. Trained as an engineer and researcher, DrGao has been actively involved in a number of major projects and code/standards developments, including the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and BCA Green Mark scheme. He is a member of ASHRAE, CGBC, and lectures at tertiary institutions in Singapore.