工學博士，教授，博士生導師。
1998年獲四川大學高分子材料專業博士學位，1998年至今工作于四川大學高分子研究所及高分子材料工程國家重點實驗室，2005年-2006年在加拿大Montreal大學做訪問學者，2006年晉升教授，2009年度教育部新世紀優秀人才；四川省化學化工學會常務理事，中國材料研究學會青年委員會理事。
近年來作為項目負責人承擔了國家自然科學青年基金項目1項、面上項目1項、國防科工局軍品配套項目1項、863項目1項、國際合作項目1項及橫向合作項目多項。主要從事聚合物結構性能表征、可控自由基聚合研究、聚合物共混加工等，在Macromolecules, Polymer, Langmuir等刊物累積發表期刊論文60余篇，其中SCI、EI收錄40余篇，授權中國發明專利2項。
近年發表的部分論文：
1. Jian Kang, Jinggang Gai, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Ya Cao, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang et al. Dynamic crystallization and melting behavior of β-nucleated isotactic polypropylene polymerized with different Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Journal of Polymer Research. Accepted.
2. Jian Kang, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Shipeng Zhu, Huilin Li, Ya Cao, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang. Hydrogenated petroleum resin effect on crystallization of isotactic polypropylene. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. In Production.
3. Jian Kang, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang. Influence of the stereo-defect distribution on the crystallization behavior of Ziegler-Natta isotactic polypropylene. Journal of Polymer Research. In Production.
4. Jian Kang, Jingping Li, Shaohua Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Feng Yang, Ming Xiang. Investigation of the crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene polymerized with different Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. In Production.
5. Jian Kang, Feng Yang, Tong Wu, Huilin Li, Ya Cao, Ming Xiang. Polymerization control and fast characterization of the stereo-defect distribution of heterogeneous Ziegler-Natta isotactic polypropylene. European Polymer Journal, 2012, 48 (2), 425-434.
6. Jian Kang, Feng Yang, Tong Wu, Huilin Li, Dongming Liu, Ya Cao, Ming Xiang. Investigation of the stereo-defect distribution and conformational behavior of isotactic polypropylene polymerized with different Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2012, 125 (4), 3076-3083.
7. Keran Li, Ya Cao, Thermo-responsive behavior of block and random copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide/N,N-dimethylacrylamide synthesized via reversible addition- fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, Soft Materials, 2010, 8(3), 226
8. Jian Kang, Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Effects of ultrasound on the conformation and crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene and β-isotactic polypropylene, Polymer, 2010, 51, 249-256
9. Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, The effect of propylene-ethylene copolymers with different comonomer content on melting and crystallization behavior of polypropylene, Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 2010, 116: 1172-1183
10. Xie, Dinghai; Ye, Xiaodong; Ding, Yanwei; Zhang, Guangzhao; Zhao, Ning; Wu, Kai; Cao, Ya; Zhu, Julian X. X., Multi-step thermosensitivity of poly(N-n-propylacrylamide)-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-block-poly(N,N-ethylmethylacrylamide) triblock terpolymers in aqueous solutions as s tudied by static and dynamic light scattering, Macromolecules, 2009, 42, 2715-2720
11. Xu Liu, Keran Li, Xinliang Feng, Ya Cao, Preparation of Propargyl-terminated Polylactide by the Bulk Ring-opening Polymerization, Journal of Macromolecular Science, Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry (2009) 46, 1-6
12. Cao, Ya; Zhao, Ning; Wu, Kai; Zhu, Julian, "Solution Properties of a Thermosensitive Triblock Copolymers of N-alkyl Substituted Acrylamides" , Langmuir, 2009, 25(3): 1699-1704
13. Ya Cao, Yuanyuan Zheng, Guangqin Pan, Radical Generation Process Studies of the Cationic Surfactants in Ultrasonically Irradiated Emulsion Polymerization, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 2008, 15(4), 320-325
14. Yuanyuan Zheng, Ya Cao, Guangqin Pan, High Purity Nanolatex Prepared by Ultrasonically Irradiated Emulsion Polymerization, Ultrasonics Sonochemistry， 2008, 15(4), 314-319
15. Yuhui He, Ya Cao, Ying Fan, Using a Polymerizable Surfactant in Ultrasonically Irradiated Emulsion Polymerization to Prepare Polymer Nanoparticles，J. Applied of Polymer Science, 2008, 107(3): 2022-2027
16. Ya Cao, X. X. Zhu, Juntao Luo, Huiyou Liu, Effects of Substituted Groups on the RAFT Polymerization of N-Alkylacrylamides in the Preparation of Thermosensitive Block Copolymers, Macromolecules, 2007, 40(18), 6481-6488
17. Ya Cao, X. X. Zhu, Preparation of ABC triblock copolymers of N-alkyl substituted acrylamides by RAFT polymerization, Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 2007, 85(6), 407-411.
18. Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, Investigation of the friction and wear behaviors of polyoxymethylene/linear low-density polyethylene/ethylene-acrylic-acid blends, Wear, 2006, 260: 1342–1348
19. Jinyao Chen, Ya Cao, Huilin Li, An Investigation on Wear Mechanism of POM/LLDPE Blends, J. Applied of Polymer Science, 2006, 101(1): 48-53
20. Cao, Ya; Zhu, X. X. Thermosensitive poly(N-alkylacrylamide)s and block copolymers synthesized via raft polymerization. Polymer Preprints (American Chemical Society, Division of Polymer Chemistry) (2006), 47(1), 354-355