Li (Emily) Liu

Dr. Liu is an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Dr. Liu earned her PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her B.S. from Peking University. As a Physicist and Nuclear Engineer by training, Liu’s research is focused on solving high impact problems associated with energy and the environment through fundamental investigations into the structure-function relationships of materials. For this purpose she is developing a variety of experimental and computational tools based on neutron, X-ray, and light scattering as well as molecular dynamics (MD) and phase field simulations. Moreover, Professor Liu’s science based communication/societal research extends into many areas. Collaborating with psychologists, she explores the technical and social aspects of a nuclear/radiological event, especially focusing on the emergency management and decision technologies to support preparedness, response, and recovery. Collaborating with financial engineers, she builds economic analysis to measure sustainability of advanced hybrid energy systems and develops new optimization economic/technical model for nuclear fuel cycle. Collaborating with course developers, she discovers innovations and exciting strategies for her courses.