Liu awarded Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Research grant

Jia Liu, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) was awarded a grant through the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) for his proposal to develop an optogenetic tool for a long-term stable neuromodulation.

Liu was among 36 scientists and engineers who received the grant through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). The program aims to foster creative basic research in science and engineering and enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators. YIP recipients each receive a three-year grant totaling $450,000. 

Liu's group at SEAS brings together researchers from a range of disciplines to develop advanced bioelectronics that integrate nanoelectronics, soft electronics, genetic and genomic engineering, and machine learning to interface with biological systems. Liu’s team aims to  use these advanced bioelectronics to  build a scalable brain-machine interface, study questions in neuroscience, and develop diagnostic and therapeutic methods for neurological, cardiovascular and developmental diseases.

Liu received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 2014. He then moved to Stanford University in 2015 to complete a postdoctoral fellowship and returned to Harvard as an Assistant Professor in 2019.

Previously, Liu was awarded the Catalyst Award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and awards from the William F. Milton Fund and the Aramont Fund for Emerging Science Research.