Dr. Juewen Liu stands as a preeminent leader in bionanotechnology, currently serving as a Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Biosensors and Bionanotechnology at the University of Waterloo. He joined the Department of Chemistry at Waterloo in July 2009 following two years of postdoctoral research at the Center for Micro-Engineered Materials at the University of New Mexico and the Advanced Materials Laboratory at Sandia National Labs. Dr. Liu earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005, building upon his foundational education with a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2000. His distinguished career demonstrates a consistent commitment to advancing the frontiers of nanoscale science and its applications in analytical and biomedical contexts.
Professor Liu's groundbreaking research has produced over 200 influential publications focusing on DNA and lipid-based sensors and functional nanomaterials, accumulating more than 53,000 citations according to Google Scholar. His laboratory has pioneered innovative approaches using DNA, liposomes, hydrogels, and inorganic nanoparticles as building blocks to construct sophisticated functional nanomaterials for analytical and biomedical applications. Notably, his work on the surface science of DNA adsorption onto nanoparticles, particularly his highly cited Langmuir paper recognized as the most influential of the 2000s, has established fundamental principles in biointerface chemistry. Dr. Liu's research program encompasses functional DNA development, nanozymes (enzyme mimics using nanomaterials), and the critical interactions between biomolecules and nanoscale surfaces, creating new paradigms in sensor design and molecular recognition.
Beyond his research contributions, Dr. Liu actively shapes the scientific community through his leadership roles as a member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, The Water Institute, and the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology. He mentors the next generation of scientists through teaching specialized courses including MNS 431 - Special Topics in Nano-Biomaterials and NE 461 - Micro and Nano-instrumentation, which he has taught consistently from 2020 through 2025. His laboratory continues to push boundaries by applying fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, and biology to address pressing challenges in bioanalytical chemistry, targeted drug delivery, and nanomedicine. Dr. Liu's ongoing work in combinatorial DNA aptamer selection, enzyme mimics, and biosensor development promises to yield further transformative advances at the intersection of nanotechnology and biological systems.
