Dr Will Chang Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She also serves as the Principal Investigator at the NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI). Dr Liu obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) with First Class Honours and later received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where her work focused on multiphysics coupling in hydrogel systems with an emphasis on thermal science. Dr Liu’s research focuses on the development of stimuli-responsive hydrogels and innovative green energy technologies, with applications in low-grade energy harvesting, water harvesting, and thermal management. Her work has been published in leading international journals, including Nature Water, Joule, Energy & Environmental Science, Nature Communications, Nano Energy, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Research Interests
- Stimuli-responsive hydrogels
- Micro/nanofabrication of soft materials
- Water harvesting
- Thermal management
- Low-grade energy harvesting
Selected Publications
- C. Liu †, X. Y †. Yan, S. C. Li †, H. S. Zhang, B. L. Deng, N. X. Fang, J. Habibi, S. C. Chen, X. H. Zhao, “A Meter-scale Vertical Origami Hydrogel Panel for Atmospheric Water Harvesting in Death Valley”, Nature Water, 3, 714–722, 2025
- C. Liu, S. J. Wang, X. Wang, J. J. Mao, Y. Chen, N. X. Fang, S. P. Feng, “Hydrovoltaic energy harvesting from moisture flow using an ionic polymer–hydrogel–carbon composite”, Energy & Environmental Science, 15, 2489-2498, 2022.
- C. Liu, Q. K. Li, S. J. Wang, W. S. Liu, N. X. Fang, S. P. Feng, “Ion regulation in double-network hydrogel module with ultrahigh thermopower for low-grade heat harvesting”, Nano Energy, 92, 106738, 2022.
- H. Li†, C. Liu†, S. P. Feng, and N. X. Fang, “Broadband light management with thermochromic hydrogel microparticles for smart windows”, Joule, 3, 290-302, 2019.
Teaching
ME5210 Advanced Sustainable Technologies: From Soft Materials to System Design
ME5221 Nanotechnology for Engineering Applications
ME4226 Energy and Thermal System
Open Positions and Collaborations
Research Fellow (Postdoc)
PhD/Master students
Visiting students
Please email me to discuss any research interests or potential collaborations.