Curriculum Vitae

Employment

2013 - Present Lecturer & Master’s Supervisor, School of Software and Microelectronics, Peking University

2011 - 2013 Teaching Assistant, School of Software and Microelectronics, Peking University

Courses Taught at Peking University

Spring: User Experience and Human-Computer Interaction
Spring: Artificial Intelligence Practice (Language Intelligence)
Spring: Large Language Model Post-Training Practice
Fall: Data Visualization Technology and Practice
Fall: Technical Writing
Fall: English Academic Writing

Previous courses:

Translation Management and Localization Engineering (Chinese MOOC)
Technical Communication Methods
User Experience and Technical Communication

Education

2013 - 2023 University of Twente, The Netherlands Ph.D. in Technical Communication, Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS)

2009 - 2011 Peking University M.A. in Computer-Aided Translation, School of Software and Microelectronics (Early graduation)

Editorial Positions

2021 - Present

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Editorial Board Member

2022 - Present

The Journal of Medicine, Humanity and Media, Associate Editor

Research Projects

Construction of Intelligent Agents for Public Opinion Guidance in Local Emergencies, PKU–Donghu High-Tech Zone National Intelligent Social Governance Experimental Base “Humanities and Social Sciences Project Cluster” (Project No.: 8410104376, ¥100,000), Sub-project PI
Research on an International Communication System Based on Large Language Model Agents in the New-Quality Media Environment, 2024 National Social Science Key Project (Project No.: 24AXW004, ¥350,000), Participant
Mechanisms, Paths and Methods of Public Opinion Guidance in Public Emergencies, 2023 National Social Science Key Project (Project No.: 23AXW008, ¥350,000), Participant
Narrative Research on Cancer Patients from a Digital Health Humanities Perspective, 2023 PKU Digital & Humanities Special Project, jointly developed by PKU Health Science Center, School of Foreign Languages, and School of Software and Microelectronics, ¥100,000, Participant. Project website
Research on the Evolution Mechanism and Governance Strategies of Online Misinformation under the “Infodemic”, 2022 National Social Science Fund Project (22CXW011, ¥200,000), Participant
Developer Documentation User Experience Design and Evaluation, 2021 Ministry of Education Industry–University Collaborative Education Project, in cooperation with Ant Group (Project No.: 202102342029, ¥200,000), PI
Research and Database Construction on Building a Community of Health for Mankind (Project No.: 21ZDA130, ¥400,000), 2021 National Social Science Fund Major Project, Participant
English Translation and Interpretation of Keywords in Ancient Chinese Literary Theory, 2020 National Social Science Fund Project (20BYY029, ¥80,000), Participant
Theory and Methods of Boolean Expression Testing and Fault Diagnosis Based on Karnaugh Map Coverage, National Natural Science Foundation of China, General Program, 61872011, 2019-01-01 to 2022-12-31, ¥630,000, Completed, Participant

Corporate Projects

(Selected projects, all led as PI)

2023

Xiaomi — Neural-Network-Based Automatic Translation Quality Evaluation
Xiaomi — Neural-Network-Based Terminology Extraction
CCTV.com — Writing Training for Engineers
MCC Group — Application of AIGC in Translation, News coverage

2022

BAIC Group — In-Vehicle Owner’s Manuals for Various Car Models
Renogy — Solar Power Documentation Development
Xiaomi — Manual Style Sheet Development

2021

Ant Group — Developer Documentation UX Design
Tmxmall — Application of Language Intelligence in Technical Writing

2020

Xiaomi — Translation Order Management System
Xiaomi — Terminology Portal
Xiaomi — Tag-Assisted Generation System
Shenzhen Technology University — Technical Writing Course Design

2019

China Association for Standardization — Technical Writing Competency Certification Program
Peking University — Professional Master’s Case Library Development

2018

Baidu — Computer-Aided Translation Tool Design Consulting
Beijing Foreign Studies University — Translation Process Research
Siemens — Minimalist Documentation Design Consulting
MadCap Flare — Technical Writing Tool Localization

2016

A Defense Contractor — Simplified Technical English Rule Checker for Aerospace and Defense

2014

Liaoning Normal University — Computer-Aided Translation Teaching Platform (CATTP)

2013

MCC Group — Remote Multi-User Collaborative Translation Environment
Alchemy Catalyst 8.0 Software Localization

Publications

Google Scholar

Journal and Conference Papers

2026

Gao, Z., Dong, L., & Wang, J. (2026). Modeling technical writing processes and measuring their effects on text quality: Experimental research with industry practitioners. Written Communication, 43(1), 225–270. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1177/07410883251372212 (SSCI)

2025

Gao, Z., Ji, C., & Liu, K. (2025). Enterprise terminology extraction practice based on large language models. China Terminology, 27(4), 136–141. DOI: 10.12339/j.issn.1673-8578.2025.04.031

2024

Z. Gao, W. Du, D. Li and J. Yu, “Development of a UX Scale for Technical Communication,” 2024 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2024, pp. 223–232, doi: 10.1109/ProComm61427.2024.00051 (EI)

2023

Z. Gao, T. Wang, M. Wang and Y. Zhao, “UX Testing of Developer Documentation: A Pilot Study of OceanBase Database Documentation,” 2023 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), Ithaca, NY, USA, 2023, pp. 64–72. DOI: 10.1109/ProComm57838.2023.00035 (EI)
Dong, L., and Gao, Z.* (2023). Who are China’s Technical Communicators? A Survey on the State of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Profession. Technical Communication, 70(3), 42–62. Society for Technical Communication, DOI: 10.55177/tc583549 (SSCI)

2020

Z. Gao, K. Ming and J. Yu*, “Chinese Developers’ Information Behavior of Technical Documentation,” 2020 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), Kennesaw, GA, USA, 2020, pp. 147–154. DOI: 10.1109/ProComm48883.2020.00030 (EI)
Z. Gao, F. Li and J. Yu*, “Reading Time Prediction Model on Chinese Technical Documentation,” 2020 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), Kennesaw, GA, USA, 2020, pp. 162–169. DOI: 10.1109/ProComm48883.2020.00046 (EI)
Z. Gao, Y. Gao and J. Yu*, “What Makes It Findable? An Exploration on User Search Behavior and the Findability of Technical Documentation,” 2020 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), Kennesaw, GA, USA, 2020, pp. 155–161. DOI: 10.1109/ProComm48883.2020.00031 (EI)

2019

Z. Gao and G. Han, “Initial Exploration of Ideal Line Length for Chinese Technical Text,” 2019 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), Aachen, Germany, 2019, pp. 243–247. DOI: 10.1109/ProComm.2019.00050 (EI)
Zhijun Gao, Yuxin Gao, and Jingjing Xu (2019). Designing Metrics to Evaluate the Help Center of Baidu Cloud. In Portland ‘19: Broadening the Boundaries of Communication Design, Portland, OR. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 7 pages. DOI: 10.1145/3328020.3353936 (EI)

2016

Han, T., Liu, L., & Gao, Z.* (2016). Strengthening technical communication and localization to help Chinese brands go global. Science & Technology Review, 34(17), 105–109. Article link (CSCD, Peking University Core)

2014

Gao, Z., Yu, J., & De Jong, M. (2014). Establishing technical communication as a professional discipline. Tcworld, 2014(08), 10–13.

2013

Gao, Z., Yu, J., & De Jong, M. (2013). Technical communication in China: A world to be won. Intercom, 60(1), 11–13.
Gao, Z. (2013). A preliminary study of an evaluation framework for computer-aided translation tools. Chinese Translators Journal, 2013(05), 70–76. (CSSCI, Peking University Core)

Monograph

2024 Zhijun Gao. Technical Communication in China: Studies on the User Experience of Technical Documentation, University of Twente. ISBN: 978-90-365-5983-6. Publication Date: February 2024.

Textbooks

2021 English Technical Writing, Nanjing University Press, Contributing author

2016 Translation Technology in Practice, Foreign Languages Press, Contributing author

Standards

2024

User Experience Assessment Specification for Technical Documentation, April 11, 2024, Standard No.: T/CAS 852-2024, First author, China Association for Standardization

2023

User Experience — Service Capability Assessment Specification, 2023, Standard No.: T/CQAE 15006–2023, China Electronic Quality Management Association. Full text

2019

General Technical Specification for Corpora, released by the Translators Association of China, Standard No.: ZYF 001-2018. Full text

2016

Glossary of Technical Communication Terms, released by China Association for Standardization, Standard No.: T/CAS 245-2016. [Download]

Patents

Method, System, Device and Storage Medium for Outputting Document Content. Inventors: Yu Jingsong, Gao Zhijun, Dong Yongjia. Publication No.: CN115809638A, Publication Date: 2023-03-17

Software Copyrights

LECAT Intelligent Corpus Analysis Tool 1.0, Registration No. 16535734, Copyright holder: Gao Zhijun
PKUCAT Large-Model-Assisted Translation Platform 1.0, Registration No. 16681619, Copyright holder: Gao Zhijun

Invited Talks

2024

AI for Area and Country Studies, School of Foreign Languages, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, November 28, 2024
User Experience Assessment of Developer Documentation, Huawei Cloud User Experience Conference, Shenzhen, October 31, 2024
The Development of a UX Scale for Technical Documentation, IEEE ProComm 2024, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, July 15, 2024
Enhancing Corpus Analysis with Large Language Models: A Novel Tool for Efficient and Intelligent Processing, International Symposium on Language Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, May 10–11, 2024
Large Language Models Drive Transformation in Translation Technology, School of Foreign Languages, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, April 26, 2024

2023

UX Testing of Developer Documentation — A Case Study of OceanBase, IEEE ProComm 2023, Cornell University, Ithaca, July 18, 2023
User-Centered: From Technical Writing to Information Experience Design, University of Macau, February 8, 2023

2020

Designing the China Technical Writing Competency Exam, TCWorld China 2020, Shanghai, September 11, 2020

2019

Quality Metrics for Help Centers, ACM SIGDOC 2019, Portland State University, October 5, 2019. [Conference schedule]
Line Length Design for Technical Documentation, IEEE ProComm 2019, RWTH Aachen University, Germany, July 24, 2019

2017

User Assistance Design Based on Information Behavior, TC World 2017, Shanghai, August 21, 2017
Technical Communication Education in China, TCWorld 2018, ICS Stuttgart, Germany, October 26, 2017

2016

Standards in the Field of Technical Documentation in China, JTCA, Kogakuin University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, August 24, 2016
Technical Communication Education in China, University of Westminster, London, October 9, 2016

Media Coverage

Awards

2024

2024 Peking University 7th Innovative Teaching Paper Competition, First Prize — Gao Zhijun, Ji Chen, Xu Jing*
Frank R. Smith Outstanding Article Award, Society for Technical Communication. Announcement, [Certificate]

2023

Outstanding Class Advisor of the Year, Peking University

2021

10th PKU Innovative Teaching Application Competition, Third Prize — Yu Jingsong, Gao Zhijun

2020

Contribution Award for Technical Communication Education in China, China Association for Standardization

Professional Service

2022.08.10 - Present Secretary-General, Subcommittee on Computer-Aided Terminology Work, National Technical Committee on Language and Terminology Standardization

2019.01.01 - Present Secretary-General, Technical Communication Service Committee, China Association for Standardization

2019.01.01 - Present Member, Localization Services Committee, Translators Association of China

2022 - 2024 Board Member, IEEE Professional Communication Society