Dr. Mia Liu joins the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University

2020-08-13

Writer(s): Cheryl Pierce

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Purdue University welcomes a new member to the faculty in the fall of 2020, Dr. Mia Liu.  Liu brings with her a substantial catalog of works that will help unlock the mysteries of the universe.  She will use her extensive knowledge to teach physics and also further her investigative research at Purdue University.

“I am passionate about advancing our capabilities in studying nature's secrets: I led the testing and commissioning of the forward pixel detector Phase 1 upgrade, that is a 'camera' sitting at the 'heart' of the CMS detector providing the most precise 3D measurements,” says Liu. “My current endeavor is to apply machine learning techniques in our trigger and data acquisition system, in order to unleash the physics potential of the LHC/High-lumi LHC data.”

In her persistent pursuit of the secrets of nature, Liu has worked with cutting edge technology that furthers modern physics.  She has worked with the Large Hadron Collider for her recent research.

“My research is focused on understanding the fundamental particles and forces with colliders,” says Liu. “I use the data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to search for the unknown particles such as those predicted in the supersymmetry theories, and stringently test the current theory: the Standard Model by measuring very rare and challenging processes with multiple bosons.  At Purdue I will continue with these explorations, with a focus on novel ways to measure the Higgs potential.”

Liu obtained her undergraduate degree in China, then came to the United States for graduate school.  She obtained her PhD at Duke University in 2015.  The Department of Physics and Astronomy is excited that Liu will be taking her next giant leap onto the West Lafayette campus and looks forward to seeing her vision unfold.