Mengxiao Gao | School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, Cornell University

About Me

I am a first-year PhD student in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering (ORIE) at Cornell University. I am fortunate to be advised by Professor Kyra Gan. My research focuses on developing robust and efficient methods for causal inference and causal discovery. I am also working on developing efficient and scalable nonparametric statistical tests.

Before my PhD, I received my B.S. from Weiyang College, Tsinghua University, where I pursued a dual major in Mathematics & Physics and Civil Engineering & Systems.

I am always happy to chat — feel free to reach out via email!

Publications & Preprints

Hybrid Top-Down Global Causal Discovery with Local Search for Linear and Nonlinear Additive Noise Models
Sujai Hiremath, Jacqueline R.M.A. Maasch, Mengxiao Gao, Promit Ghosal, Kyra Gan
[arXiv][NeurIPS 2024]

Education

Cornell University
2025.08 – Present
Ph.D. in Operations Research and Information Engineering

Tsinghua University
2021.09 – 2025.06
B.S. in Mathematics and Physics; Double Major in Civil Engineering and Systems

Miscellaneous

Outside of research, I enjoy puzzle-solving games and follow tennis and figure skating. I have a deep appreciation for traditional Chinese music and classical poetry. I also love traveling and trying local cuisines wherever I go.

My favorite figure skating programs include:
Weijing Sui/Cong Han: Rain in Your Black Eyes
Alena Kostornaia: Twilight
Rika Kihira: The Fire Within