Xiang Liu

Xiang Liu
Xiang Liu (MS 11, PhD 13)
Assistant Professor
Rutgers University

CEEAA Young Alumni Achievement Award, 2020

For establishing a diverse, externally funded academic program in Railway Transportation Engineering, developing a curriculum in rail engineering, attracting quality graduate students and being a prolific author of high-quality papers published in peer-reviewed journals; and for being one of the top-rated professors at Rutgers School of Engineering and Principal Investigator on several high-profile US DOT-sponsored research projects on railroad engineering.

Biography

Dr. Xiang Liu is currently the A. Walter Tyson Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rutgers University. He is also the Director of the Rutgers Rail and Transit Program. In this role, he leads a portfolio of rail-centric research, education, and workforce development initiatives. Liu’s research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence, big data, and automation technologies to the improvement of rail operational safety and efficiency. 

Liu has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences. He is currently the Associate Editor of the Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management, and Journal of Smart and Resilient Transportation. He has received four “Best Paper” awards from the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the “Educator of the Year 2017” Award, and the “Researcher of the Year 2018”, both in New Jersey. In 2018, he received a “Rising Star” award from the Progressive Railroading magazine. 

Liu currently teaches several railroad courses at Rutgers. He received a B.S. degree (2008) from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China, and an M.S. (2011) and Ph.D. (2013) both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois). At Illinois, his research centered on rail safety and risk management, at the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC).