His research lies in energy harvesting, vibration and damping. Dr. Liao received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2005, and M.S.E. in Electrical Engineering in 2004, both from Arizona State University. Before that he received his B.E. in Automotive Engineering in 1999 from Tsinghua University. He taught in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Arizona State University from 2006-2017 before he joined Penn State Behrend in 2017. Dr. Liao has published 11 articles in journals such as Smart Materials and Structures, Journal of Sound and Vibration, and Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures. He is a regular reviewer for more than 9 international journals, and a member of ASME.