News Archives from Liu Research Group

February 2023 A novel discovery on the control of hexavalent chromium release from drinking water distribution system. Check our team's recent publication on the discovery of a new chemical strategy to prevent hexavalent chromium release from drinking water distribution system. This novel discovery opens new possibilities for water industry to better manage aging drinking water distribution systems and prevent the next "Flint Crisis". 

February 2023 New desalination concentration treatment technology published. Check our team's recent publication on desalination concentrate treatment. This new treatment train opens new possibilities for water and resource recoveries from otherwise an environmental hazardous waste stream. 

February 2023 New team member joins Prof. Liu's group. We welcome Mingrui Song as the newest postdoc to join our group!

January 2023 PFAS destruction technology selected for UCR POC grant. Our team is “marching toward commercialization” with help from a proof-of-concept (POC) grant from UCR’s Office of Technology Partnership to scale up the IP-protected PFAS destruction technology. More information is here. 

December 2022 A new PFAS destruction technology. Check our most recent publication on the patent-protected PFAS destruction technology to treat contaminated water. It is one of the top most downloaded articles. The new technology opens possibilities to get rid of the "forever chemicals" from different water sources!

July 2022 Water reuse for irrigation project funded by UCR OASIS Program. Our group was selected for funding by UCR Riverside Opportunities to Advance Sustainability, Innovation, and Social Inclusion (OASIS) Program to develop a novel photochemical water reuse technology for urban agriculture irrigation and food production.

July 2022 Professor Liu obtains the Professional Engineer license in California. This brings new expertise to the CEE department and student mentoring. 

May 2022 Brine Treatment project funded by USDA. Our group was selected for funding by U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop brine treatment technologies for water reuse in agriculture.

April 2022 PhD student won a Best Poster Award at water conference. PhD student Liang Wu won the First Place in Fresh Idea Poster Competition at the American Water Works Association (AWWA) California-Nevada Sectional Conference, and the second place poster award in the national competition. Congrats!

September 2021 New graduate students join Prof. Liu's group. We welcome Sitao Liu as the newest graduate student to join our group!

June 2021 New PFAS research project funded by NSF. Our group and Men group (co-PI, UCR) were selected for funding by U.S. National Science Foundation to develop new PFAS destructive technologies for water treatment. Congrats to the whole team! 

December 2020 Professor Liu received recognition from Orange County Engineering Council. Prof. Liu is awarded the Outstanding Educator Award of the Year by Orange County Engineering Council, for his significant contribution to engineering education on water reuse projects, many in collaboration with Orange County Water District (OCWD) and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWDSC).

December 2020 Our most recent study on lead contamination in drinking water is published! Our recent discovery on lead redox chemistry and the implication on the control of lead contamination in drinking water is published in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Read the article here. Congrats to Sumant who led the research effort and our collaborator Dr. Samantha Ying from Environmental Sciences Department at UCR!

December 2020 Professor Liu gave a keynote presentation at the 3rd Water-Energy-Nexus International Symposium, and enjoyed networking with colleagues in a virtual environment. 

November 2020 Professor Liu is awarded an honorable mention of the 2021 James J. Morgan Early Career Award. The American Chemical Society and its Environmental Chemistry Division recognize Professor Liu's research accomplishments in environmental science and technology for strong alignment with the aspiration of The James J. Morgan Early Career award, which recognizes the contributions of early career researchers who are leading the fields covered by ES&T and ES&T Letters in new directions, through creative and new ideas. As part of the award recognition, Professor Liu will be an invited speaker at the “James J. Morgan Early Career Award for Great Achievements in Environmental Science and Technology” symposium at the Spring 2021 ACS National Meeting.

October 2020 Professor Liu named as an Associate Editor for the Journal of hazardous Materials. Professor Liu joins the editorial board of the Journal of Hazardous Materials. The Journal of Hazardous Materials is a leading international journal that advances world class research by publishing articles in the areas of Environmental Science and Engineering. 

September 2020 Discovery of a new pathway of hexavalent chromium formation in drinking water is published in ES&T. Our recent novel findings on the formation of toxic chromium formation via iron pipes in drinking water distribution systems is published in Environmental Science & Technology. Congrats to Cheng Tan in leading the research effort! Check this article here. 

July 2020 Agricultural drainage water treatment project is funded. The California Department of Water Resources funds our research group to develop sustainable treatment technologies on agricultural drainage water. Check the news release here. 

June 2020 Best student presentation award. Congrats to PhD student Liang Wu on winning the best student presentation award at the annual Environmental Toxicology Program Symposium! 

May 2020 Review article on emerging hexavalent chromium treatment technologies is published. Our recent technology development and review on the treatment of hexavalent chromium is published in Frontier of Environmental Engineering and Science. Check the article here.

April 2020 Treatment technology to remove toxic elements in brine is published. Our recent technology development on the treatment of toxic oxyanions in the brine waste with a high salinity is published in Chemical Engineering Journal. Congrats to Gongde (now a postdoc at Penn State) who led the effort! Check the article here.

March 2020 Feature article on the COVID-19 Coronavirus. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Liu co-wrote a timely editorial perspective on the Novel Coronavirus and its fate in wastewater in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Read the article here. Check the UCR press release on the publication here. 

January 2020 Water Treatment project funded by USDA. Our group and Haghverdi group (Environmental Science, UCR) were selected for funding by U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop water technologies for water reuse in agriculture.

December 2019 New graduate students join Prof. Liu's group. We welcome Xinyu Tang, Phung Quan and Monika Madhiyan as the newest graduate students to join our group!

November 2019 Research project funded by USDA. Our group and Yin group (Chemistry, UCR) were selected for funding by U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop nanostructure materials to treat agricultural wastewater. 

October 2019 UV chloramine and hydrogen peroxide for potable reuse is published in ES&T. Our manuscript on the discovery of a balanced act between chloramine and hydrogen peroxide as photo-oxidant for potable reuse is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congrats to the whole AOP team and Kiran's leading effort! Check the article here.

September 2019 Mercury remediation research is published in Journal of Hazardous Materials. Our recent work on the clean-up of mercury contaminated soil is published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. Check this article here. This is a collaborative work with Dr. Mark Matsumoto at UC Merced. Congrats to all!

September 2019 Tushar successfully defended his PhD work. Congrats to Tushar in completing his PhD degree! He will go forward as an engineer at Intel, Inc. Best wishes for the future career pursuit! 

August 2019 Liu group attended ACS Fall National Meeting. Our group gave a total of six presentations at ACS Fall National Meeting. Congrats to the whole team! Dr. Liu gave an invited talk featuring 2018 best research papers in Environmental Science from Royal Society of Chemistry (Check the best papers here), and co-organized a symposium on stormwater treatment that was well attended. 

August 2019 Liu group attended Gordon conference on disinfection. Our group attended Gordon Research Conference on Disinfection. Group members presented the most recent research findings and networked with colleagues. 

July 2019 Our desalination brine treatment technology is recommend for funding by Department of Interior. We received the great news that our proposed project on brine treatment using advanced oxidation process is recommended for funding by the Department of Interior Desalination and Water Purification Program. This project aims to develop innovative technologies to treat inland desalination brine and recover resource. Check the press release here. 

July 2019 UV photolysis technology is funded by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. We are excited to receive the news that our photochemical water technology is selected for funding by the World Water Forum Grant from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Congrats to PhD student Liang who led the research effort! 

June 2019 PI receives research and teaching awards. Dr. Liu receives a 2019-2020 UCR Academic Senate Research Award, and a Distinguished Advisor Award from the Environmental Toxicology Program.

June 2019 Best student presentation award. Congrats to PhD student Sam Patton on winning the best student presentation award at the annual Environmental Toxicology Program Symposium! 

May 2019 New insight on desalination concentrate chemistry is published in ES:WR&T. Our recent discovery on the significant effects of antiscalant chemicals in membrane desalination concentrate is accepted by Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. The article shines light on the important role antiscalants, and provides a paradigm shift in managing membrane concentrate for resource recovery. Congrats to Tushar who led the experimental effort! Check the article here.

May 2019 Novel desalination concentrate treatment technology is published in Water Research. Our recent work on an innovative approach to treat membrane desalination concentrate using persulfate photolysis is accepted by Water Research. Congratulations to Zhi Wang who led the experimental effort! Check the article here.

April 2019 Lead corrosion chemistry in drinking water is published in ES:WR&T. Our recent work on the redox stability of lead minerals in drinking water distribution systems is accepted by Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Outcome from this article points to important strategies to control lead corrosion and release in drinking water distribution systems. Check the article here. 

April 2019 Group member receives the prestigious Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship. We got the exciting news that Kiran is awarded with the prestigious UC Riverside Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship! This competitive fellowship is awarded to applicants who show substantial promise for a tenure-track appointment. Congrats Kiran!

April 2019 Our group present at ACS Spring National Meeting. Postdoc Kiran and Dr. Liu attended the 2019 ACS Spring National Meeting, and presented our research work on diverse topics ranging from potable reuse to nitrate removal technologies. It's great to see our colleagues and collaborators! 

April 2019 PhD student won a Best Poster Award at water conference. PhD student Sam Patton won the First Place in Fresh Idea Poster Competition at the American Water Works Association (AWWA) California-Nevada Sectional Conference. His award-winning poster presentation focuses on chloramine photolysis and its application in water reuse. Congrats!

March 2019 Our group receives a Best Paper Award from Environmental Science Journal. Our research paper, published in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology and titled “Cyto- and Geno-Toxicity of 1,4-Dioxane and Its Transformation Products during Ultraviolet-Driven Advanced Oxidation Processes”, has been chosen as the Runner-Up Best Paper of 2018. This study shines light onto potable reuse design strategies based on toxicology considerations. Congrats to team members! Read the news here. 

March 2019 Collaborative work on full-scale and novel hexavalent chromium treatment is published. Our recent work on a full-scale implementation of innovative stannous reductive treatment of hexavalent chromium from groundwater is accepted for publication by American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water Science Journal! This is the first successful full-scale testing of a new chromium control technology in drinking water. This study results from collaborations with Coachella Valley Water District and Corona Engineering Consulting. Congratulations to John Orta, who led the electrochemical corrosion part of the study! Check the article here. 

March 2019 Collaborative work on enzymatic CO₂ conversion is accepted by ACS Biochemistry. Our collaborative work on the synthesis of formate from CO₂ gas via enzymatic catalysis is accepted for publication by ACS Biochemistry. Congratulations to our collaborators in Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering! Check the article here.

March 2019 Prof. Liu gave an invited seminar at University of Minnesota. Prof. Liu gave an invited talk in the Department of Civi, Environmental and Geo-Engineering at University of Minnesota, and shared recent research with colleagues on potable water reuse and photochemistry. 

February 2019 Prof. Liu receives Young Professional Award from the International Ultraviolet Association. Prof. Liu is selected to receive the 2019 Young Professional Award from the International UV Association. This award recognizes a young professional under the age of 35 who has made an exceptional contribution to UV research, design, innovation, or applications in the period 2017-2018. Prof. Liu's group is advancing water reuse and purification technologies using photochemical processes. You can find our recent progress in this research area from publications here. 

February 2019 Best Research Paper Award from the International Ultraviolet Association. Our group receives a Best Research Paper Award from the International UV Association. The paper, titled "Impacts of chloramines on UV photolysis of hydrogen peroxide: removal of trace organic contaminants for potable reuse" was published in Environmental Science & Technology in 2018, and was featured as the cover image of the October 2018 issue of the journal. Our paper was selected by the International UV Association for the impact on the development of UV research and technology, especially in water reuse applications. Congrats to PhD student Sam Patton who led the research work!

January 2019 Prof. Liu gave an invited seminar at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prof. Liu gave an invited talk in the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara, and shared recent research with colleagues on potable water reuse.

December 2018 New PhD student joins Prof. Liu's group. We welcome Andrew Sanchez as the newest PhD student to join our group!

December 2018 Gongde successfully defended his PhD work. Congrats to Gongde in completing his PhD degree and a wonderful dissertation work! He will go forward as a postdoc at Penn State University. Best of wishes for his future academic pursuit. 

November 2018 Manuscript accepted by ES&T. Our recent work on homogeneous photochemical denitrificaiton is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congratulations to Gongde who led the experimental work! Check the article here.

October 2018 Prof. Liu receives Reviewer Award. Prof. Liu receives an Excellent in Review Award from the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. This award recognize the reviewers who have consistently returned careful, thoughtful reviews to ES&T, a leading journal in the filed of environmental engineering.

September 2018 Prof. Liu's group receives funding from NSF. The National Science Foundation (NSF) recommends an award to our group to provide industrial research internship opportunities for graduate students. This project, funded by the Directorate for Engineering of NSF, will enable the collaboration between our group and water utilities in Southern California to strengthening graduate education and training in the water sector. 

September 2018 PhD student received a First Place Dissertation Award! Michelle Chebeir, who graduated from Prof. Liu's group in 2017 won a First Place Dissertation Award from the American Water Works Association's California-Nevada section. Michelle's dissertation focuses on the chemistry of hexavalent chromium and its control strategies in drinking water. Congratulations!

August 2018 Prof. Liu recognized at Faculty Awards Reception. Dr. Liu is among a group of UCR’s faculty who were recognized at the 2017-2018 Faculty Awards Reception. The celebration, held by the Chancellor and the Provost, recognized UCR faculty members who received significant national awards in the past academic school year.

August 2018 Prof. Liu's group receives funding from Department of interior. Our group receives funding from the Desalination and Water Purification Program within the Department of Interior. The project aims to develop pilot-scale innovative water reuse and desalination treatment. Read the press release here. 

August 2018 Student wins Best Paper Award! Congratulations to PhD student Gongde in winning the best student paper award at the 2018 Los Angeles Environmental Forum! Gongde will present his award-winning research work on photochemical nitrate reductive technology at the annual conference organized by the LA Environmental Forum.

August 2018 Research featured in UCR Today Magazine. Water reuse technology developed from our lab on the removal of trace organic contaminants is featured by UCR Today. Check out the video and the press release here

July 2018 Prof. Liu's group receives funding from NSF. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds Dr. Liu's group to combine computational techniques with laboratory measurements to understand changes in chemical reactions that occur in wastewater during treatment and reuse. Our project will be a collaborative effort with Dr. Wong's group at UCR. 

June 2018 Collaboration paper on gold nanoparticles is accepted. Our collaborative work with UCR mechanical engineers on the synthesis of gold nanoparticles is accepted by Nanoscale. Congratulations to all! Check the article here.

May 2018 Water reuse paper on chloramine photochemistry is accepted. Our novel discovery on the photolysis of chloramines for water reuse application is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congratulations to Sam, and our collaborators at Orange County Water District and University of Salerno in Italy! Check the article here.

May 2018 Toxicity paper on recycled water accepted. Our manuscript on the evaluation of toxicity of recycled water using bioassays is accepted by Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Congratulations to all co-authors!  Check the article here.

May 2018 Chromium paper accepted by ES&T. Our manuscript on the discovery of a novel pathway to control toxic chromium occurrence in drinking water is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congrats to Michelle! Check the article here.

May 2018 Group member received best presentation award. Graduate student Tushar Jain received a best student presentation award at the 2018 UCR Earth Week Environmental Sustainability Symposium. Congratulations!

April 2018 Water reuse paper accepted by ES&T. Our manuscript on the development of persulfate-based water reuse technology is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congrats to all and our collaborators! Check the article here.

March 2018 Prof. Liu receives tenure. Prof. Liu is promoted to Associated Professor with tenure. Congratulations to the whole Liu group!

March 2018 Paper featured as the top 10 most downloaded articles in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology in 2017. Our paper in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology has been featured as one of the “top 10 most downloaded articles” in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology in 2017. Congratulations to all!

March 2018 Paper featured as the top 10 most downloaded articles in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts in 2017. Our paper in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts has been featured as one of the “top 10 most downloaded articles” in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts in 2017. Congratulations to all!

March 2018 Best presentation award at the International UV Association Conference! Gongde and Dr. Liu attended the International UV Association North America Conference, and gave presentations on the application of photochemistry for nutrient management and water reuse. Gongde won one of the Best Student Presentation Awards! Congratulation, Gongde!

February 2018 Postdoctoral Associate Sumant Avasarala joined the Liu group. We welcome Sumant from the University of New Mexico as the newest postdoc joining our group!

January 2018 Liu group gave presentations at the American Water Works Association Water Reuse Conference. Dr. Liu attended the Water Reuse Conference Organized by American Water Works Association, and gave a presentation on chloramine photolysis for potable reuse.

December 2017 Paper selected as the Editor's Choice Paper of 2017 by Environmental Sciences: Water Research & Technology. Paper Our paper on the kinetic modeling on ultraviolet advanced oxidation process for water reuse is selected as the Editor's Choice Paper of 2017 by Environmental Sciences: Water Research & Technology! The Editor's Choice Papers are considered to be amongst the best papers published in the journal during 2017. Please check this article here.

November 2017 Two new PhD students join the Liu group. We welcome Liang Wu and Cheng Tan as two new PhD students joining our group! 

September 2017 Postdoctoral Associate Kiran Mangalgiri joined the Liu group. We welcome Kiran Mangalgiri from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a new postdoc joining our group! 

September 2017 Invited seminar at Yale University. Dr. Liu gave an invited seminar in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University. 

September 2017 Invited seminar at John Hopkins University. Dr. Liu gave an invited seminar in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at John Hopkins University. 

September 2017 Paper published in the Environmental Science & Technology. Gongde's paper to investigate vanadium redox chemistry using electrochemical techniques is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congratulations!

September 2017 Congratulations to Lucy on completing her PhD work! Lucy worked on sulfate radical based oxidative water treatment the past four years and has authored four publications, with two additional in preparation. Lucy will soon start as a research chemist with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest supplier of treated water in the United States and internationally well known. We wish her all the success in the future!

September 2017 Congratulations to Michelle on successfully defending her dissertation! Michelle's PhD work on chromium chemistry in drinking water has resulted in multiple publications and conference presentations. Michelle will take an engineer position with Hazen and Sawyer, an environmental engineering consulting firm well known in water industry. We wish her best of luck in her future career! 

August 2017 Sam attended the Gordon Research Conference in Disinfection By-Products and gave poster presentation on his water reuse project. Dr. Liu also attended the conference, and met with colleagues and collaborators. 

July 2017 Dr. Liu receives a Regents Faculty Development Award from UC Riverside Academic Senate. This award is funded by the University of California Office of the President to support Assistant Professors who are approaching tenure with innovative research projects!

July 2017 Our paper on the effects of bromide on lead release in drinking water distribution system is accepted by Chemical Communications. Congratulations to John and Sam!

June 2017 We welcome five new students joining our group in the summer! They are Oswaldo Mireles from San Bernadino Valley Community College, Jesus Trujillo from Valley High School, Steve Crumly from University of La Verne, Chrystal Knox from Jackson State University, and Daniel White from UCR Jump Start Program. The summer research opportunities for students are part of educational and outreach efforts with our collaborators at UCR, in California and Mississippi. 

June 2017 Dr. Liu attended the biennial meeting of Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors at the University of Michigan. He gave a talk on the chemistry of water distribution systems.

June 2017 Michelle attended the American Water Works Association Annual Conference. She represented the best poster presenter from the California-Neveda section to attend the conference and presented her work on hexavalent chromium. 

June 2017 Gongde attended the Gordon Research Conference in Environmental Nanotechnology. He also gave an oral presentation at the Gordon Research Seminar.

April 2017 Our group receives a research contract from Water Research Foundation to work on chloramine-based water reuse treatment in collaboration with Orange County Water District. 

April 2017 Our group receives a NSF award on Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate - Graduate Research Supplements (AGEP-GRS). This supplement provides additional graduate student support to work on a water reuse project. 

April 2017 Tushar won a First Place Award in Innovation at the Spring Green Expo organized by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Tushar showcased his research on the recovery of phosphorus from membrane concentrate. Congratulations! More details can be found here.

April 2017 Michelle attended the American Water Works Association California-Nevada Sectional Conference, and won the First Place in Fresh Idea Poster Competition. She gave a poster presentation on the fate and chemistry of hexavalent chromium in drinking water. Congratulations!

April 2017 Our group attended ACS Spring Meeting in San Francisco, and gave four platform presentations in total. Our group's research was well represented at the conference. Congratulations to Gongde, Sam and Lucy. 

March 2017 Dr. Liu gave an invited seminar at University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

March 2017 Our paper on disinfection of pathogenic E. coli using sulfate radical based treatment is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology Letters. This is part of our collaborative work with Dr. Sharon Walker's group. Congratulations to MS student Dawit who conducted this study!

March 2017 Our paper on in situ groundwater remediation using sulfate radical based treatment is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Congratulations to Lucy! 

March 2017 In collaboration with our colleague Dr. David Jassby's group, we published a paper on electrochemical reductive treatment of hexavalent chromium in Journal of Membrane Science. PhD student Gongde co-led the experimental investigation. Congratulations! 

February 2017 Our group is part of a collaboration team led by Plant Pathologists at UCR that received USDA funding to study citrus green. Read more at UCR Today.

February 2017 Our paper on the assessment of density functional theory methods to predict sulfate radical driven oxidation reaction for water reuse applications is accepted by Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, a Royal Society of Chemistry journal. This is part of a collaborative work with our UCR computational colleague.

February 2017 Dr. Liu was interviewed by Smithsonian Magazine and discussed lead release in Flint, Michigan. Read more here.

January 2017 Congratulations to Dr. Liu's group for receiving the NSF CAREER Award titled "CAREER: Beyond Conventional Drinking Water Management: Control of Redox-driven in situ Release of Accumulated Inorganic Contaminants from Water Distribution Infrastructure".

December 2016 Our paper on the the UV photolysis of monochloramine and its implication on water reuse application is accepted by Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Congratulations to Sam and Lucy!

December 2016 We welcome three new members joining our group, including CEE PhD student John Orta, visiting student Mariano Romano from University of Salerno, Italy and CEE undergraduate student Hangdong Wang.  

December 2016 Dr. Liu was interviewed by the journal of Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology as part of the Emerging Investigator Series. The full interview is here. 

December 2016 Dr. Liu gave an invited seminar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Missouri, Columbia. 

December 2016 Our group is part of a collaborative team with PIs from five UC campuses that is a recipient of the 2017 UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) awards. MRPI funding supports innovative multicampus research collaborations that strengthen UC’s position as a leading public research university. Our research project will be focused on the treatment of stormwater as a new drinking water supply.

November 2016 Our paper on the development of a new reductive TiO₂ nanocrystal catalyst for hexavalent chromium removal is published in Water Research. Congratulations to Gongde!

October 2016 In a joint effort with our collaborators at University of Salerno in Italy, we published a paper on ozonation and sonolysis based wastewater advanced treatment in the journal of International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation.

October 2016 Our group is awarded a research grant from Water Research Foundation on the optimization of ultraviolet-based water reuse treatment processes. This project is in collaboration with Orange County Water District. 

October 2016 Our paper on comparative study of the mechanisms of different ultraviolet-based advanced oxidation processes has been accepted by Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Congratulations to Lucy!

October 2016 Our group's research project on chloramine photolysis for water reuse is highlighted in UCR Today news.  

September 2016 Our paper on chromium occurrence and its redox transformation in drinking water distribution systems is published in Environmental Science: Water Research &Technology. Congratulations to Michelle and Gongde!

Jun 2016 Dr. Liu is selected as a Hellman Fellow for 2016-2017 for his research on water reuse treatment. The UCR Hellman Fellows Program awards fellowships to faculty at the rank of assistant professor who exhibit potential for great distinction in their area of expertise.

Apr 2016 Our group receives a research grant from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Southern California World Water Forum College Grant Program. The project is aimed to develop inland concentrate management strategies.

Mar 2016 Dr. Liu gave invited research seminars during his visits to Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and University of Salerno in Italy.

Mar 2016 Dr. Liu co-organized a symposium focused on metals and metalloids at ACS Spring Meeting in San Diego, CA. Graduate student Gongde also gave an oral presentation on hexavalent chromium removal in this symposium.

Mar 2016 Our group received a National Science Foundation EAGER award to develop novel electrochemical tools to understand redox pathways of metals and their intermediates in water treatment processes.

Feb 2016 Our group attended the Emerging Contaminant Summit in Denver, CO. Dr. Liu organized and chaired a session on hexavalent chromium issues, Gongde won one of the Best Student Poster Awards. Congratulations!

Jan 2016 Dr. Liu was interviewed by Chemical & Engineering News and discussed lead release in drinking water and metal corrosion in water distribution systems. Read more at C&EN.

Dec 2015 Michelle's paper on hexavalent chromium formation via oxidative pathways in drinking water has been accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. 

Dec 2015 Our paper on persulfate based groundwater remediation has been accepted by Environmental Science & Technology. Lucy contributed to the identification of degradation products. 

Nov 2015 Our group attended the 12th International Symposium on Persistent Toxic Substances. Lucy won the Best Poster Presentation. Congratulations!

May 2015 In collaboration with colleagues at CEE and Chemistry departments, UCR Collaborative Seed Program and UCR Catalysis Center supports our research on reductive photocatalyst for water treatment.

May 2015 PhD student Tushar Jain is awarded a Research Fellowship from Southern California Salinity Coalition. Congratulations!

Apr 2015 PhD student Sam Patton is awarded the highly competitive Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Congratulations!

Apr 2015 Undergraduate students Alex Numa, Natalia Camargos and Priscila Coehlo joined our lab. Welcome!

Mar 2015 Together with colleagues from University of New Mexico and Temple University, Dr. Liu organized a symposium focused on surface redox processes at ACS Spring Meeting in Denver, CO. There were more than 90 participants, including 25 oral presentations. Graduate students Lucy Li and Michelle Chebeir also gave their first oral presentation at a national conference, respectively. 

Dec 2014 CEE PhD students Gongde Chen and Tushar Jain join our lab. Welcome!

Dec 2014 Our recent collaborative work with April Gu at Northeastern University and David Sedlak at UC Berkeley is published on Science of the Total Environment.

Nov 2014 Dr. Liu gives an invited seminar at Georgia Tech.

Nov 2014 The Liu group attend the annual National Water Research Institute Conference in conjunction with the Clarke Prize Award Ceremony.

Sep 2014 PhD student Sam Patton from Environmental Toxicology joins our group. Welcome! Sam is also selected to receive a UCR Water IGERT Fellowship. Congratulations!

Aug 2014 Dr. Liu publishes a paper on sulfate radical driven groundwater remediation on Environmental Science & Technology.

Aug 2014 Dr. Liu gives a talk on hexavalent chromium in drinking water at the ACS annual meeting in the symposium in honor of Professor Richard Valentine.

Jul 2014 Steve Opot, Catherine Charlton, Sam Patton, Evan Kruchowy, Ruben Orozco and Heidi Li join our group.

Jul 2014 Dawit Wordofa successfully defended his MS thesis. Congratulations!

Apr 2014 Dr. Liu attended Gordon Research Conference on Water in New Hampshire.

Jun 2014 Our group gave seminars at Norco College and Riverside Community College as part of outreach activities.

May 2014 Congratulations to Dawit Wordofa on receiving an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award at UCR. 

Apr 2014 Dr. Liu gives an invited seminar at UCLA.

Apr 2014  PhD students Lucy Li and Michelle Chebeir are awarded the highly competitive Graduate Research Fellowships (GRF) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Congratulations! More news about this award can be found here.

Apr 2014  Lamees Alkhamis won the UCR HSI Undergraduate Research Award in Spring quarter. Congratulations!

Apr 2014  Matthew Chen from Environmental Toxicology joins our lab as a new graduate student. Welcome!

Mar 2014  Our group attended the American Water Works Association California-Nevada Sectional Conference in Anaheim, CA. Lucy Li presented her research on oxidative groundwater remediation, Dawit Wordofa presented his work on sulfate radical disinfection and Lamees Alkhamis presented her work on chromium treatment. Lamees and Lucy won the Second and Third Place in Young Professional Poster Competition, respectively. 

Feb 2014  Our group attended California Groundwater Association Emerging Contaminants Symposium in Concord, CA. Han Sohn and Michelle Chebeir presented their research on chromium transformation pathways, and Lucy Li presented her research on persulfate remediation. 

Jan 2014  Lamees Alkhamis won the UCR HSI Undergraduate Research Award in Winter quarter. Congratulations!

Jan 2014  The California Institute for Water Resources supports our research on hexavalent chromium redox pathways.

Sep 2013 Michelle Chebeir joins our group as a new graduate student. Welcome!

Jun 2013 Dr. Liu attended the biennial conference of Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors in Golden, CO. Dr. Liu gave a presentation on groundwater remediation. 

May 2013 Dr. Liu's paper on metal release from drinking water distribution systems in desalinated water is published on Water Research. 

Mar 2013 Lucy Li joins our group as a new graduate student. Welcome!

Jan 2013 Dawit Wordofa joins our group as a new graduate student. Welcome!

Jan 2013 Liu research group opens at UC Riverside!