Hanwen Gao obtained his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Brown University, where he developed a cryogenic ion trap coupled with a laser vaporization source to generate cold molecular ions for high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy. He joined ZLab in November 2025 to extend his expertise toward the field of ultracold molecules. His current research focuses on the laser cooling and trapping of calcium monohydride (CaH) molecules.