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Professor Named as Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry

April 20, 2021

Dr. Kin Liao was awarded the prestigious distinction for his leadership and research work in chemical science. 

 

Dr. Kin Liao, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, has been elected as Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Fellow. The RSC is a UK-based professional society founded in 1841 and is the largest organization in Europe whose mission is to advance excellence in chemical sciences.

 

The designation Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) is awarded to RSC members who have made significant contributions to the chemical sciences and hold positions of influence with their invaluable experience, expertise, and commitment to promoting the value of chemical science. Aside from being an RSC Fellow, Dr. Kin is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS).  

 

Dr. Liao said: “I am very honored to be named a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) last year and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) this year. Again, I’d like to thank KU for its generous support for our research over the years. Also, credits and honors should first go to my former and current students, research associates/postdocs for their hard work. Without their contributions, this would not be possible. Being elected FRSC and FRAeS reflect an international recognition of the quality of research that we are doing here at KU, as well as KU’s commitment to becoming one of the top global research intensive universities.”

 

For Dr. Liao, collaboration and interdisciplinary research are very important in the advancement of research work.

 

“I’d like to take this opportunity to share my views on the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration. We have been working on two-dimensional (2D) materials—materials that are one- or few-atoms thick (such as graphene)—in the past few years. In order to create and advance new knowledge, we need to step out of our comfort zone and look for new research directions and opportunities. For me, my comfort zone was solid mechanics—simply put, a discipline that deals with stress and deformation of solids. Thus, besides working in the area of mechanics, we also work on the chemistry side of nanomaterials, and how these materials apply to new technologies in energy (for example, in batteries), clean water treatment (for instance, making advanced filters), as well as healthcare. For instance, 2D materials may also be applied to develop functionalized coatings for high-performance filter materials to effectively trap pathogenic particles (such as a virus) in the air.  Moreover, collaboration with colleagues in other disciplines is crucial. I have been collaborating with colleagues from my own department, as well as those from Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.”

 

Over the years, Dr. Kin and his group and other collaborators have published extensively papers related to the chemistry of nanomaterials (specifically in energy, water treatment, biomedical sciences, electromagnetic interference shielding, and sensors) in leading international journals such as Materials Chemistry, Advanced Materials, Biomaterials, Journal of Energy Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Journal, and Advanced Materials interface

 

Ara Maj Cruz
Creative Writer
20 April 2021