Dr. Cao has established himself as a leader in the field of collaborative analytics, particularly in high-dimensional and imaging science. He has worked on problems in the study of the microbiome, physical activity assessments, and neuro- and body imaging in a variety of settings. His collaborative projects have focused on neuroimaging and statistics applied to novel radiological tools for assessing the impact of COVID-19, cancer, and neurological disorders. Dr. Cao is a core member of the Penn Statistical Imaging and Visualization Endeavor (PennSIVE), a research center in statistical imaging at the University of Pennsylvania, where he provides statistical consultations and collaborates with physician scientists in the Department of Radiology.