Jian-Rong Gao

Jian-Rong Gao is an Associate Professor at the Department of Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology. He also serves as a part-time faculty member in Quantum Nanoscience and leads the "Sensing from Space" theme at TU Delft Space Institute.

• Senior Instrument Scientist & Head of Cryo-L Section, SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research
• Co-chair, Millimeter/Submillimeter Detectors for Astronomy conference (SPIE)
• Associate Editor, Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (JATIS)

His research spans superconducting THz detectors, quantum cascade lasers, transition-edge sensors (TES), and space instrumentation, with applications in balloon-borne observatories (GUSTO, STO2) and satellite missions (Athena, LiteBIRD). Key technologies include frequency/microwave multiplexing, nanofabrication, and metasurface design.

Recent works focus on improving noise temperatures in THz mixers, optimizing TES microcalorimeters for X-ray spectroscopy, and developing multi-beam multiplexers for THz astronomy. Collaborations span NASA, ESA, SRON, and CCAT-prime.

He has supervised 8 PhD students and numerous postdocs, contributing to over 300 publications in THz physics, cryogenics, and spaceborne sensor systems.