Chris Liu

Phone:

(317) 274-1014

Email:

liuchr@iu.edu

Website:

https://research.iu.edu/

Department:

Office for Research Development, IU Research Leader

Biography

Yusheng (Chris) Liu, Ph.D.

Associate Vice President for Research Development
Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Indiana University Indianapolis

Dr. Yusheng (Chris) Liu serves as Associate Vice President for Research Development at Indiana University, where he leads the Office for Research Development (ORD) supporting all nine IU campuses. He is also a tenured professor in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at IU Indianapolis.

Dr. Liu joined IU in 2023, bringing over two decades of leadership experience in research development, graduate education, and academic administration across major public universities. At IU, he oversees a team of approximately 50 professionals who provide strategic proposal development, internal funding programs, and capacity-building services to advance research, instructional innovation, and community engagement. Under his leadership, ORD has restructured IU’s internal funding programs, launched new initiatives such as the Emerging Frontiers and Layered-Learning programs, and created the Faculty Prestigious Awards Specialist role to support faculty recognition at the national level.

Dr. Liu also serves as IU’s liaison to The Conafay Group, coordinating federal funding and government relations for biomedical research across IU campuses.

Prior to joining IU, Dr. Liu served as Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC, 2019-2023), where he led the university’s transition to R1 status. Under his leadership, UMKC’s research expenditures more than doubled in four years, meeting the 10-year strategic goals (2018-2028), and sponsored awards increased by over 300%. He developed UMKC’s strategic research plan, supported the establishment of new research centers, and led initiatives to enhance graduate program quality, diversity, and student success.

From 2017 to 2019, Dr. Liu was Associate Vice President for Research at California State University Fullerton (CSUF), where he also served as Vice Chair of the CSU System’s Council of Chief Research Officers. He led system-wide initiatives to assess the impact of student research on learning outcomes and secured major NSF funding to support Hispanic-serving institutions in STEM education.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Liu held research leadership roles at Prairie View A&M University in Texas (2015-2017), served as a Program Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation (2013-2015), and directed the Center of Excellence in Paleontology at East Tennessee State University (2008-2009). He has also held positions in fossil collections management, curatorial, and faculty roles at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, respectively.

An internationally recognized paleobotanist, Dr. Liu has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on climate change, biodiversity, and fossil plant systematics. He has received numerous honors, including the NSF CAREER Award (2007), the Humboldt Fellowship from Germany, and invited lectureships. His research and research administration have been supported by NSF, NIH, USDA, and National Geographic, among others.

Dr. Liu earned his Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Paleobotany from the Nanjing Institute of Geology & Paleontology, Academia Sinica, and his B.Sc. in Botany from Sichuan University. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in Austria (1993-1994), Japan (1994-1995), Germany (1997-1998), and Canada (1998-2001), supported by prestigious international agencies.