Chun Liu Appointed New Chair and Professor of Applied Mathematics
Russell Betts, dean of the College of Science and Distinguished Professor of Physics, has announced the appointment of Chun Liu, Ph.D., as chair and professor of the Department of Applied Mathematics. Liu formally took up the appointment on August 1.
Before coming to Illinois Tech, Liu was in the Department of Mathematics at Pennsylvania State University, where he had served since 1998. He also served a term as associate director for the National Science Foundation-funded Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications at the University of Minnesota, and has held positions at the University of Wuerzburg, the University of Tokyo, the University of Georgia, and Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Ph.D. in 1995 from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.
Liu has developed sophisticated techniques in nonlinear partial differential equations and applied them in novel ways to enrich understanding of liquid crystal growth, polymers, and ion channels in cell membranes. He developed the general framework of energetic variational approaches (EnVarA) to study various problems arising from physical and biological applications. His research involves modeling, analysis, and numerics, and it appears in journals belonging to a variety of disciplines. Liu’s research has been supported by various federal and international funding agencies.
Liu brings to Illinois Tech a wide network of academic connections and experience in leading multidisciplinary teams and mentoring post-docs and students. As chair, he will help the Department of Applied Mathematics in strengthening both its research and instructional programs.
