Industrial Engineering Professor Named John L. Imhoff Chair in Industrial Engineering

Ashley Reeves

Xiao Liu and plaque honoring the late professor John L. Imhoff

Xiao Liu, assistant professor of industrial engineering, has been named the John L. Imhoff Chair in Industrial Engineering for a two-year period. He is the ninth person to hold this title.

Liu joined the Department of Industrial Engineering in 2017 from the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. His research focuses on the integration of governing physics and domain knowledge into data-driven models for multidisciplinary applications and is supported by the National Science Foundation and industry.

Department head Ed Pohl stated that Liu is the perfect faculty member for the John L. Imhoff Chair. "He excels in the classroom, he excels in his research, he is an outstanding mentor to his students, and he is passionate about making a global impact with his research. We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Liu as a member of team, and he is very deserving of this honor," he said.

In 2022, Liu was the recipient of a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program. The award supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. The award comes with a grant Liu will use to further his research in domain-aware statistical learning. Liu was also honored with the College of Engineering Rising Star award in 2022.

Liu responded to the appointment by saying, "Dr. John L. Imhoff thrived on the global impact potential of the industrial engineering discipline. This support will fulfill Dr. Imhoff's vision by creating additional international education activities for our students, including summer visiting programs, attending international workshops and domestic conferences."

The John L. Imhoff Chair in Industrial Engineering was established in 1989 by John L. Imhoff's family, friends, former students and colleagues. The chair serves to reward faculty members who embody Imhoff's passion for global studies and its importance to student growth in the profession, commitment to student success, enthusiasm for teaching and excellence in research.

Learn more about Xiao Liu's research here.

About the Department of Industrial Engineering: The Department of Industrial Engineering was founded in 1950, led by department head John L. Imhoff, who believed deeply in the global impact of industrial engineering. Today, the department averages over 200 undergraduate students (sophomore through senior) and over 40 doctoral and master's students. In addition, the department has three online master's degrees: the Master of Science in Operations Management, Master of Science in Engineering Management and Master of Science in Operations Analytics. These three programs alone enroll over 2,000 students each academic year. A wide range of practical research is conducted in the department in the areas of reliability, maintainability and quality engineering; transportation, logistics and distribution; health care systems engineering; manufacturing and automation; engineering management and big data; and data analytics in each of the five research centers housed in the department. To learn more about the Department of Industrial Engineering please visit our website.