Lichuan Liu

Professor, Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

Lichuan Liu

From the NIU Newsroom, 8/2023
Lichuan Liu, NIU researcher’s innovation helps lead to device to prevent hearing loss in NICU infants

What year did you start working at NIU? 2007.

Where is your hometown? and where do you live now?
I grew up in Chengdu, China, which is also the home of a research facility for pandas. I live in Batavia with my husband and two boys now.

Where did you attend college and what degree(s) have you earned?
I attended the electrical engineering department at University of Electronic Science and Technology in Chengdu, where I received my B.S. degree and M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1995 and 1998. I went on to pursue doctoral study in Electrical Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology, and I received my doctoral degree in 2006.

What do you like about working at NIU?
At NIU, we have great faculty members, staff and students. We care about each other. NIU is like a big family for every Huskie.

What advice would you give to students currently attending NIU?
College time is precious, so take advantage of what our university and community can offer. Be smart and careful balancing your time. Work hard and play harder.

Tell us about a research or engaged learning project you have led.
My research interests are artificial Intelligence and digital signal processing. I have worked on active noise control for infant incubators, smart snore cancellation pillows and infant cry recognition by using AI technology. My motivation for this research is driven by my own experience/need for being a mother of two children and my research background in signal processing and machine learning.

What do you hope students take away from your class?
I want my students to take away a lifelong learning habit that allows and motivates them to learn in the future. Electrical Engineering is changing every day, and I would like my students to learn to be an engineer, act as an engineer and work as an engineer.

What is your favorite campus event?
I most enjoy attending Senior Design Day. Sometimes I go watch football or basketball games.

What is your favorite memory of NIU?
Working with my students, and seeing many of them become electrical engineers or go to graduate school is my favorite memory of NIU.

Who has influenced your professional path?
Dr. Sen Kuo, my mentor, was always there when I needed his guidance in getting myself ready for teaching and doing research at NIU when I first started here in 2007.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? Are you currently doing it? If not, what changed your path?
I was hoping that I would become a scientist because when I was younger, I always dreamed about making the world better as a grown-up, and I really enjoy learning anything new to me. Now, I am a teacher and an engineer, and I am doing research to bridge science theory and practice. Although I did not become a pure scientist, I have managed my study and my career so that I can constantly use my knowledge to help others and teach young engineers. This job makes me feel that I am somewhat a practicing scientist as well.

Are you a member of or hold a position within a professional organization? If so, what organization? What is the purpose of that organization and how does being part of this organization benefit you in your role at NIU?
I am a senior member of several important professional organizations in electrical engineering, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Women Institute of Engineering, Sigma-Xi and Network Networking Women. The primary purpose of these organizations is to network with other academics like me and to improve myself to be up to date in teaching and scholarship. I think being part of the organizations within them helps me to communicate with my colleagues all over the world and encourage our students to join such communities and learn from others.

What community organizations are you involved in?
I work as guest editor and reviewer for several journals and conferences. I am a volunteer for my sons' school.

What do you do to relax or recharge?
I travel with my family during breaks and show my sons the world. I enjoy reading, going to the gym and swimming to relax.


Lichuan Liu is the director of the Biomedical Engineering Program and professor of Electrical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

Back to top