Updated in April, 2011
Curriculum Vita
HANLI LIU (Female), Ph.D.
Biomedical Engineering Program Office: (817) 272-2054
The University of Texas at Arlington Secretary: (817) 272-2249
Box 19138 FAX: (817) 272-2251
Arlington, Texas 76019-0138 e-mail:
1. Education and Post-doctoral Training:
University / Degree / Major / DatesUniversity of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA / Post-doctoral
Fellow / Biomedical Optics and Instrumentation / June 1994 - Aug. 1996
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC / Ph.D. / Applied Physics / May 1994
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC / M.S. / Applied Physics / May 1990
Beijing Normal University
Beijing, P. R. China / B.S. / Physics / July 1983
2. Professional Experience:
Sept. 2006 – present Professor of Bioengineering, Bioengineering Department,
The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX.
Sept. 2001 – Aug. 2006 Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering Program,
The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX.
Sept. 2000 – present Affiliate Member of the Institute for Cancer Research, The
University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX.
Sept. 1996 – present Adjunct Faculty, Joint Program in Biomedical Engineering,
The Univ. of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical
Sciences, Dallas, TX.
Sept. 1996 – Aug. 2001 Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering Program,
The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX.
June 1997-Aug.1997 Summer Research Faculty Fellow, Air Force Research lab., Albuquerque, NM
June 1994-Aug.1996 Post-doctoral Fellow, Britton Chance’s Laboratory,
Dept. of Biochem. And Biophys., The Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Research Scientist, NIM Incorporated, Philadelphia, PA.
June 1992-Aug.1996 Research Associate, University City Science Center, Institute for Biophysical and Biomedical Research (IBBR), Philadelphia.
Sept.1989-May 1992 Research assistant, Physics Dept. Wake Forest University, NC
Sept 1987-Aug. 1989 Teaching/Research assistant, Physics Dept. Wake Forest Univ.,NC
3. Honors:
Recipient for the following awards:
February 2008 College of Engineering Excellence in Research Award (one person per year in the college), University of Texas at Arlington
April 2005-
April 2009 Annual Research Excellence Award, University of Texas at Arlington
(cash award).
October 2007 being selected to be an Associate Editor for Optics Express, which is a fast growing peer-reviewed, International Optics Journal, with an impact factor of 3.8 in 2006.
May 19 2007 distinguished speaker to deliver the hooding address in Wait Chapel during the hooding ceremony held by the Graduate School of Wake Forest University.
Jan.-May, 2006 Recipient, Faculty Development Award from UT Arlington for Sabbatical in Functional Neuro-imaging.
Jan. 2005 Recipient, the STARS program from the University of Texas System to receive $500,000 for equipment fund.
Jan. 6-7, 2005 Invited to attend “The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of
Texas,” Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas, Texas.
(two faculty members per university within the UT system were invited.)
2004-present, Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World, 2005 Edition.
April 2004 University Outstanding Research Achievement Award, UTA.
2003-present, approved membership for International WHO’S WHO of Professionals
2003-present, Listed in Marquis Who’s Who of American Women.
2002-present, Listed in Marquis Who's Who in America.
October 1999 "Chun-Hui" Travel Fund Award for Outstanding Abroad Chinese Scholars, sponsored by Education Ministry of China.
February 1999 College of Engineering Outstanding Young Faculty Award, UT Arlington;
April 1998 Outstanding Young Scientist Award, Houston Biomedical
Engineering Symposium, Houston, TX.
May 1990 Sigma Xi Research Award, Wake Forest Chapter, Winston-Salem, NC.
May 1990 Graduate Student Association Award for best M. S. thesis, Wake Forest U.
Nominated for the following awards at the level of the University and the State of Texas:
February 2009 Nominee for 2008-2009 University Award for Distinguished Record of Research, from College of Engineering to UT Arlington.
May 2006-2008 Nominee for Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards in Engineering, from UT Arlington to The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.
Dec. 2006 Nomination for Membership to the Academy of Distinguished Scholars,
from College of Engineering to UT Arlington.
4. Memberships in Professional Societies
SPIE, international optical engineering society (since 1992 to now);
APS, American Physical Society (since 1989 to now);
OSA, Optical Society of America (since 2004 to now);
IEEE-LEOS, IEEE Laser and Electro-Optical Society (2004-2006);
IEEE Women in Engineering (2004-2006).
5. Reviewer for Peer-reviewed Journals and the NIH grants:
Associate Editor: Optics Express (Oct. 2007-Oct. 2010);
Journal of Optical Society of America A: Optics and Image Science;
Applied Optics; Applied Spectroscopy;
Optics Letters; Journal of Biomedical Optics;
Optical Engineering; Shock Waves;
Optics Express; NeuroImage;
Physics in Medicine and Biology; Medical Physics;
Photochemistry and Photobiology; Journal of Neural Engineering;
Review of Scientific Instruments; Biomedical Engineering Online.
Committee member for OSA Technical Program Committees (2000-2004).
NIH ad hoc study-section panel member for the NIH grant proposal reviews.
(1) Special emphasis panel: ZRG1 SBIB-V 50 R; Bioengineering Research Partnerships; June 17, 2009.
(2) Special emphasis panel: ZRG1 SBIB-U 53 R; RFA-OD-09-008 BRDG-SPAN and RFA-OD-09-009 Catalyst ARRA Review panel 15; Nov. 5, 2009.
(3) Special emphasis panel: ZRG1 SBIB-U50; Academic Industrial Partnerships; Bahia Hotel, San Diego Feb. 13, 2010.
(4) Special emphasis panel: ZRG1 SBIB-J (80) S; Development Methods of In Vivo Imaging and Bioengineering Research; Oct. 18-19, 2010.
(5) 2011/05 ZRG1 DTCS-A (81) S; Cancer and Musculoskeletal Imaging Applications; Feb. 18, 2011 (mail reviewer)
(6) 2011/05 ZRR1 BT-7 (01) 1; Biotechnology 2011; Feb. 23-24, 2011.
(7) 2011/10 ZRG1 DTCS-U (81) S; Clinical and Translational Imaging Applications; June 13, 2011 (mail reviewer)
6. Funded or Completed Research Grants:
Currently funded grants:
1) “Near Infrared Brain Imaging for Building Treatment in Children with Cerebral Palsy”
Co-PI: Hanli Liu (PI: George Alexandrakis)
Agency and type: NIBIB/NIH (R01);
Period: 04/01/2011-03/31/2014.
Total Amount: ~$1,180,000.
2) “Feasibility of Prostate Cancer Diagnosis by Transrectal Photoacoustic Imaging”
PI: Hanli Liu (Concept Award)
Agency and type: Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program;
Period: 02/01/2011-01/31/2012.
Total Amount: $112,000.
3) “Transrectal Imaging of Prostate Cancer Using a Globally Convergent Method”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D
Agency and Type: NCI/NIH (R01)
Period: 07/01/2010-08/31/2013.
Total Amount: $958,666.
4) “A Breakthrough Probe Technology for Translating Near-Infrared Brain Imaging into a Routine Clinical Tool for Assessing Motor Deficits in Children with Cerebral Palsy”
co-PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D
Agency and Type: UT Arlington/UT Dallas/ Texas Instruments Medical Technology Research Program
Period: 01/15/2010-01/14/2011.
Total Amount: $100,000.
5) “Computational Optical Tomography for Anti-stroke Therapy,”
PI: Hanli Liu in collaboration with UNTHSC from Fort Worth.
Agency and type: NINDS/NIH (R33)
Period: 06/2009-05/2012.
Total Amount: ~1,370,646.
6) Equipment fund for purchasing a “High-density NIRS brain imaging system”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D
Agency and type: College of Engineering, UT Arlington
Period: 04/01/2009-08/31/2009
Total Amount: $38,000
7) “Development of a Real-Time, Optically Guided Needle Biopsy System for Improved Prostate Cancer Diagnosis”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D
Agency and Type: Texas Ignition Fund from the University of Texas System
Board of Regents
Period: 10/01/2009-01/30/2011.
Total Amount: $50,000.
8) “Development of a Hybrid Optical Biopsy Probe to Improve Prostate Cancer Diagnosis,”
PI: Hanli Liu (Idea Award); in collaboration with UTSW from Dallas
and UNTHSC from Fort Worth.
Agency and type: Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program;
Period: 04/01/2009-03/31/2012.
Total Amount: $518,327.
9) “Computational Optical Tomography for Anti-stroke Therapy,”
PI: Hanli Liu in collaboration with UNTHSC from Fort Worth.
Agency and type: NINDS/NIH (R21)
Period: 06/2007-05/2009.
Total Amount: $368,944 (with supplement of $99,999).
10) “Assessment of Neuroplasticity in children with CP: A multi-source-detector near infrared spectroscopy imaging study,”
PI: Mauricio Delgado, M.D., UTSW from Dallas and Texas
Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Co-PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency: United Cerebral Palsy Research & Educational Foundation
Period: 01/2008 – 12/2009.
Total Amount: $100,000
11) Establishment of a Comprehensive Medical Imaging Center, in joint collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and The University of Texas at Dallas.
PI: Khosrow Behbehani;
Co-PI (NIR imaging): Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: Congressional “Ear Mark” funding
Period: 2006 – 2009.
Total Amount: $2,400,000 (UTA portion).
12) Establishment of a Comprehensive Medical Imaging Center, in joint collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and The University of Texas at Dallas.
PI: Khosrow Behbehani;
Co-PI (NIR imaging): Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: Congressional “Ear Mark” funding
Period: 2006 – 2009.
Total Amount: $579,000.
Completed grants:
13) “Novel Approach to Measurement of Hot Flashes by Near Infrared Spectroscopy”
PI at UTA: Hanli Liu
Source and type: UTA/UNTHSC research seed funding for collaboration.
Period: 01/06-12/06.
Total Amount: $15,000
14) “Microcirculatory Dysfunction: Potential Therapeutic Target of Estrogen Against Ischemic Stroke”
PI at UTA: Hanli Liu
Source and type: UTA/UNTHSC research seed funding for collaboration.
Period: 01/06-12/06.
Total Amount: $12,500
15) “Inter-disciplinary Laboratory for Diffuse Optical Medical Imaging”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: The University of Texas System, STARS program for funding
equipment. (It is faculty recruitment and faculty retention fund.)
Period: 02/01/05 – 02/28/06.
Total Amount: $500,000.
16) “Noninvasive Monitoring for Optimization of Therapeutic Drug Delivery by Biodegradable Fiber to Prostate Tumor”
PI: Dan Popa (New Investigator Award);
Co-PI and mentor: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program;
Period: 04/04-03/07.
Total Amount: $326,756.
17) “Simultaneous Monitoring of Vascular Oxygenation and Tissue Oxygen Tension of Breast Tumors under Hyperbaric Oxygen Exposure”
PI: Mengna Xia (BME Ph.D candidate);
Mentor: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program; Pre-
doctoral Traineeship Awards
Period: 04/04-03/08.
Total Amount: $90,000.
18) “Hemodynamic Imaging for Brain Tumor Prognosis”
PI: Hanli Liu, in collaboration with UTSW at Dallas;
Agency and type: NCI/NIH (R21/R33)
Period: 07/01/03 – 06/30/ 08.
Total proved amount: $1,036,516.
19) “Monitoring of Breast Tumor Response to Local Chemotherapeutic Agent Delivered by Biodegradable Fibers,”
PI: Jae G. Kim (BME Ph.D candidate);
Mentor: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program; Pre-
doctoral Traineeship Awards
Period: 06/03-05/07.
Total Amount: $90,000.
20) “Assessing Vascular Oxygen Dynamics for Breast Tumor Prognosis: comparison between MR BOLD and Near Infra-Red method”
PI: Yueqing Gu (post-doctoral fellow);
Mentor: Hanli Liu
Source and type: Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program;
Period: 09/01-08/04.
Total Amount: $150,000.
21) "Non-Invasive Monitoring of Breast Tumor Oxygenation: A Key to Tumor Therapy Planning and Tumor Prognosis"
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.
Period: 9/1/00 – 8/31/04.
Total Amount: $298,104.
22) "A Near-Infrared Probe for Localization in DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation)"
PI: Cole Giller, M.D., Ph.D (UTSW);
Co-PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and type: NIH, RO-1
Period: 10/00-8/31/04.
Total Amount: $654,330.
23) “Development of a brain spectrometer for guiding brain surgery and in-vivo monitoring of cerebral oxygenation”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and Type: the Whitaker Foundation.
Period: 9/1/97-2/28/01.
Total Amount: $197,301.
24) “In vivo Recording from GFP-labeled Neurons in Freely-behaving Normal and Mutant Mice”
PI: Rolf Joho, Ph.D. (UTSW);
Co-PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and Type: Haberecht Wildhare-Idea Research Grant, UTSW.
Period: 10/1/99-10/1/01.
Total Amount: $25,000.
25) “An Automated Neuro-Probe for Localization in Deep Brain Stimulation”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and Type: ARRI Research Enhancement Program Grant, UTA
Period: 9/1/99-8/31/01.
Total Amount: $15,000.
26) “A Continuous-Wave Approach to 3-D Imaging through Turbid Media with a Single Planar Measurement”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and Type: AFOSR, Summer Extension Grant
Period: 6/1/98-5/31/99.
Total Amount: $25,000.
27) UTA Research Enhancement Program, 1/1997-8/1997, $10,000.
28) “Electro-Optical Scanner for Detection of Brain Inhomogeneities,”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and Type: NIH, SBIR Phase I grant;
Period: 7/1/94-12/31/94.
Total Amount: $50,000.
29) “Electro-Optical Scanner for Detection of Brain Inhomogeneities,”
PI: Hanli Liu, Ph.D.
Agency and Type: NIH, SBIR Phase II grant;
Period: 10/1/95-9/30/97.
Total Amount: $500,000.
7. U.s. Patents
1) Inventors: Hanli Liu, Vikrant Sharma, and Claus G. Roehrborn;
Title: “Apparatus and Methods for Guidance of Prostate Needle Biopsy,”
Patent: Provisional, to be filed from UT Arlington in July, 2009.
2) Inventors: Hanli Liu, Edward Livingston, and Boping Wang;
Title: “Porcine Biliary Tract Imaging,”
Patent: U.S. patent pending, filed from UT Arlington on May 21, 2008.
3) Inventors: Hanli Liu, Disha Peswani, and Jeffrey Cadeddu;
Title: “Optical Methods to Intraoperatively Detect Positive Prostrate and Kidney
Cancer Margins,”
Patent: U.S. patent pending, filed from UT Arlington on May 21, 2008.
4) Inventors: Britton Chance and Hanli Liu;
Title: “Examination of scattering properties of biological tissue,”
Patent: U. S. patent number: 6957094; issued on October 18, 2005.
5) Inventors: Cole A. Giller and Hanli Liu;
Title: “Method and apparatus for probe localization in brain matter,”
Patent: U.S. patent number: 6,567,690; issued on May 20, 2003.
6) Inventors: Britton Chance and Hanli Liu;
Title: “Examination of biological tissue by monitoring one or more solutes,” Patent: U.S. patent number: 6,493,565; issued on Dec. 10, 2002.
7) Inventors: Britton Chance and Hanli Liu;
Title: “Monitoring one or more solutes in a biological system using optical techniques,”
Patent: U.S. patent number: 5,782,755; issued on July 21, 1998.
8. Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals:
(* means corresponding author for the paper)
1. Fenghua Tian, Bilal Khan, Haijing Niu, Khosrow Behbehani, George Alexandrakis, and Hanli Liu*, “Enhanced Functional Brain Imaging by Using Adaptive Filtering and a Depth Compensation Algorithm in Diffuse Optical Tomography,” accept for publication IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging (2011).
2. Natee Pantong, Aubrey Rhoden, Shao-Hua Yang, Sandra Boetcher, Hanli Liu, and Jianzhong Su, “A Globally Convergent Numerical Method for Coefficient Inverse Problems for Thermal Tomography,” accept for publication Applicable Analysis (2011).
3. Haijing Niu, Sabin Khadka, Fenghua Tian, Zijing Lin, Chunming Lu, Chaozhe Zhu, and Hanli Liu*, “Resting-state functional connectivity assessed with two diffuse optical tomographic systems,” J. of Biomed. Opt. Vol. 16(4), 046006 (2011).