Ni Gao, Ph.D., LCSW

Ni Gao, Ph.D., LCSW, is a Co-Investigator for the iCareer study and an Associate Professor and interim Director of the Integrated Employment Institute (IEI) within the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers. She is the PI of a field-initiated research grant funded by NIDILRR in 2013 (Grant No. 90IF0088-01-00). She leads a group of researchers and trainers exploring how skills training among staff can improve employment outcomes for the people they serve. Dr. Gao was also the PI of a grant funded research project evaluating the characteristics of self-help centers and the satisfaction and empowerment of center participants and is the Co-PI of a study assessing self-efficacy and employment tenure. She also teaches graduate level statistics and research methods courses. Prior to joining the Department, Dr. Gao had 15 years of direct service and program management experience in community agencies serving people with disabilities. She has published more than a dozen manuscripts on employment related topics in peer-reviewed journals.