Born in Anhui Province in 1964,[3] Gao studied chemistry at Peking University, China and received his bachelor, master, and Ph.D. degrees in 1985, 1988, and 1991 respectively.

In 1992, Gao went to Germany to become a visitor of Aachen University of Technology, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry.

In 2018, he was appointed President of South China University of Technology.

Gao has undertaken research on inorganic chemistry and molecular magnetism.

In 2007, Gao was elected a member of Chinese Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.