Liu and Steiner Honored at Annual College Banquet
Jian Liu and Andrew Steiner were among the honorees at the 2019 College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Awards banquet, held December 5. From Diversity Leadership to awards in research, advising, and teaching, the annual awards banquet honors faculty excellence in all areas of the college mission.
Dean Theresa Lee, Jian Liu, and Associate Dean Larry McKay.
Dean Theresa Lee, Andrew Steiner, and Associate Dean Larry McKay.
Liu, assistant professor, received an Early Career Award for Research and Creative Activity. He joined the university in 2015, rising to the top among dozens of highly qualified candidates. Since his arrival at UT, Liu has far exceeded expectations, publishing 58 manuscripts in prestigious journals such as Nature Physics, Nature Communications, and Physical Review Letters. His expertise in oxide electronics, an internationally active area of research within condensed matter physics, has broad potential for device applications. As a rising star in his field, Liu deservedly received a prestigious NSF CAREER award.
Steiner, also an assistant professor, received a Senior Career Award for Research and Creative Achievement. Steiner studies the nature of matter at extremely high energy densities. He pioneered theoretical efforts to constrain the physics of the atomic nucleus based on astronomical neutron-star observations. His study on the tidal deformability of neutron stars served as benchmark for the recent detection of gravitational waves emanating from the cataclysmic collision of two neutron stars. He is the author of more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, which have garnered more than 5,400 citations. He received two NSF awards, including the CAREER award, and grants from the DOE and Smithsonian, altogether raising close to $1 million in research funding. Steiner’s science has consistently been of the highest quality, had a strong impact on nuclear astrophysics, and encouraged growth in emerging new areas.
"As we recognize particularly outstanding faculty this evening, I want to thank all of our faculty in the college, individually and collectively, for everything you do— your teaching, research, service on college and university committees, thesis committees, and tenure and promotion committees, and service to the public through community engagement," said Theresa Lee, dean of the college and emcee for the awards ceremony. "A college can be no greater or stronger than its faculty and the College of Arts and Sciences is a college of excellence because each of you has a passion for our profession and you work selflessly to make our students, departments and university the best they can be."
Congratulations to our Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty award winners.
Thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences Communications Office for photos and text.