Rate My Professor Xiaozhou Liao

Professor Xiaozhou Liao is a Professor in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney. His academic background includes a BSc from Huaqiao University, an MSc from Dalian University, and a PhD from the University of Sydney completed in 2000. He began his doctoral studies at the University of Sydney in 1997. Following his PhD, in 2001 he relocated to the United States to take up a Director Funded Postdoctoral Fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory, advancing to Research Scientist there from 2003 to 2006. He returned to the University of Sydney in 2006 as a member of academic staff and has progressed to the rank of full Professor. Professor Liao is also affiliated with the Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis.

His research specializations lie in materials science and engineering, focusing on advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques to investigate structure-property relationships in nanomaterials, such as monometallic and multimetallic nanoparticles, nanocrystalline materials, ferroelectric ceramics, and alloys. Key areas include deformation twinning, ultrahigh piezoelectricity, and mechanical properties under various conditions, often employing in-situ straining electron microscopy. Prominent publications are "Deformation twinning in nanocrystalline materials" (2012), "Ultrahigh piezoelectricity in ferroelectric ceramics by design" (2018), "Microstructures and mechanical properties of ultrafine grained 7075 Al alloy processed by ECAP and their evolutions during annealing" (2004), "Simultaneously increasing the ductility and strength of nanostructured alloys" (2006), and "Ultralong single-wall carbon nanotubes" (2004). These papers have received substantial citations, underscoring his influence in the field of nanostructured materials. He serves as Executive Editor for the journal Microstructures.

Professor Liao received the Overseas Postgraduate Research Scholarship and International Postgraduate Award during his studies. He has secured grants from the Australian Research Council, including a $627,538 Discovery Project with Professor Jian Wang on unraveling mechanical behaviors of metallic materials. He supervises PhD students and leads research projects involving advanced microscopy techniques.