January 16, 2020
Chemical engineering professor recognized with named position
Bin Liu, associate professor in the Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering, has been named the William H. Honstead Professor in Chemical Engineering. The five-year appointment provides financial support for a highly regarded educator and researcher in the field of chemical engineering at Kansas State University.
Liu received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 2003 from Dalian University of Technology in China and his doctorate in chemical engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 2008. His postdoc experience included modeling of biomass conversions at the Argonne National Laboratory and solid alloy thermodynamics at Carnegie Mellon University. He came to Kansas State University as an assistant professor in 2013.
He received the K-State Faculty Mentoring Fellowship in 2014, the Academic Excellence Award in 2015, the K-State Faculty Development Award in 2016 and the College of Engineering Outstanding Tenure-track Assistant Professor Award in 2016. He is also a named Wayne and Barbara Harms Keystone Research Scholar in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering.
Liu's primary research focuses on computational catalysis by building a cascade of molecular-level modeling tools to benefit catalyst development and catalytic process innovation, specifically for sustainable chemical synthesis and the optimization of fuel-cell catalytic reactions. His research can also be applied to crystal growth in complex and extreme environments.