工学博士，教授，博士生导师。

    1998年获四川大学高分子材料专业博士学位，1998年至今工作于四川大学高分子研究所及高分子材料工程国家重点实验室，2005年-2006年在加拿大Montreal大学做访问学者，2006年晋升教授，2009年度教育部新世纪优秀人才；四川省化学化工学会常务理事，中国材料研究学会青年委员会理事。

    近年来作为项目负责人承担了国家自然科学青年基金项目1项、面上项目1项、国防科工局军品配套项目1项、863项目1项、国际合作项目1项及横向合作项目多项。主要从事聚合物结构性能表征、可控自由基聚合研究、聚合物共混加工等，在Macromolecules, Polymer, Langmuir等刊物累积发表期刊论文60余篇，其中SCI、EI收录40余篇，授权中国发明专利2项。

近年发表的部分论文：

1.     Jian Kang, Jinggang Gai, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Ya Cao, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang et al. Dynamic crystallization and melting behavior of β-nucleated isotactic polypropylene polymerized with different Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Journal of Polymer Research. Accepted.

2. Jian Kang, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Shipeng Zhu, Huilin Li, Ya Cao, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang. Hydrogenated petroleum resin effect on crystallization of isotactic polypropylene. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. In Production.

3. Jian Kang, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang. Influence of the stereo-defect distribution on the crystallization behavior of Ziegler-Natta isotactic polypropylene. Journal of Polymer Research. In Production.

4. Jian Kang, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang. Investigation of the crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene polymerized with different Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. In Production.

5. Jian Kang, Feng Yang, Tong Wu, Huilin Li, Ya Cao, Ming Xiang. Polymerization control and fast characterization of the stereo-defect distribution of heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta isotactic polypropylene. European Polymer Journal, 2012, 48 (2), 425-434.

6. Jian Kang, Feng Yang, Tong Wu, Huilin Li, Dongming Liu, Ya Cao, Ming Xiang. Investigation of the stereo-defect distribution and conformational behavior of isotactic polypropylene polymerized with different Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2012, 125 (4), 3076-3083.

7. Keran Li, Ya Cao, Thermo-responsive behavior of block and random copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide/N,N-dimethylacrylamide synthesized via reversible addition- fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, Soft Materials, 2010, 8(3), 226

8. Jian Kang, Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Effects of ultrasound on the conformation and crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene and β-isotactic polypropylene, Polymer, 2010, 51, 249-256

9. Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, The effect of propylene-ethylene copolymers with different comonomer content on melting and crystallization behavior of polypropylene, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2010, 116: 1172-1183

10. Xie, Dinghai; Ye, Xiaodong; Ding, Yanwei; Zhang, Guangzhao; Zhao, Ning; Wu, Kai; Cao, Ya; Zhu, Julian X. X., Multi-step thermosensitivity of poly(N-n-propylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N,N-ethylmethylacrylamide) triblock terpolymers in aqueous solutions as s tudied by static and dynamic light scattering, Macromolecules, 2009, 42, 2715-2720

11. Xu Liu, Keran Li, Xinliang Feng, Ya Cao, Preparation of Propargyl-terminated Polylactide by the Bulk Ring-opening Polymerization, Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry (2009) 46, 1-6

12. Cao, Ya; Zhao, Ning; Wu, Kai; Zhu, Julian, "Solution Properties of a Thermosensitive Triblock Copolymers of N-alkyl Substituted Acrylamides" , Langmuir, 2009, 25(3): 1699-1704

13. Ya Cao, Yuanyuan Zheng, Guangqin Pan, Radical Generation Process Studies of the Cationic Surfactants in Ultrasonically Irradiated Emulsion Polymerization, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 2008, 15(4), 320-325

14. Yuanyuan Zheng, Ya Cao, Guangqin Pan, High Purity Nanolatex Prepared by Ultrasonically Irradiated Emulsion Polymerization, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry， 2008, 15(4), 314-319

15. Yuhui He, Ya Cao, Ying Fan, Using a Polymerizable Surfactant in Ultrasonically Irradiated Emulsion Polymerization to Prepare Polymer Nanoparticles，J. Applied of Polymer Science, 2008, 107(3): 2022-2027

16. Ya Cao, X. X. Zhu, Juntao Luo, Huiyou Liu, Effects of Substituted Groups on the RAFT Polymerization of N-Alkylacrylamides in the Preparation of Thermosensitive Block Copolymers, Macromolecules, 2007, 40(18), 6481-6488

17. Ya Cao, X. X. Zhu, Preparation of ABC triblock copolymers of N-alkyl substituted acrylamides by RAFT polymerization, Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 2007, 85(6), 407-411.

18. Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Investigation of the friction and wear behaviors of polyoxymethylene/linear low-density polyethylene/ethylene-acrylic-acid blends, Wear, 2006, 260: 1342–1348

19. Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, An Investigation on Wear Mechanism of POM/LLDPE Blends, J. Applied of Polymer Science, 2006, 101(1): 48-53

20. Cao, Ya; Zhu, X. X. Thermosensitive poly(N-alkylacrylamide)s and block copolymers synthesized via raft polymerization. Polymer Preprints (American Chemical Society, Division of Polymer Chemistry) (2006), 47(1), 354-355