Gui-Geng Liu completed his undergraduate studies in the Poling Class of Physics at Nankai University in 2017 and obtained his Ph.D. degree from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at Nanyang Technological University in 2023. He has visited CREOL of the University of Central Florida for about one year in 2016-2017. After completing his Ph.D., he continued his postdoctoral research at Nanyang Technological University. He will join Westlake University as an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering, holding the position of an independent principal investigator (PI) and serving as a Ph.D. supervisor. Dr. Liu has been awarded the Top-Grade Award of National Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program in 2017, the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis in Tianjin in 2017, the Chinese Government Outstanding Self-Financed Student Scholarship in 2021, one of the Top 10 Optical Events with Social Influence in China in 2022, the Gold Medal of Material Research Society of Singapore in Physics in 2023, and the Winner and First Prize of NTU Graduate College Research Excellence Award in 2023.

2024

Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Westlake University

2023

Ph.D. degree, Nanyang Technological University

Postdoctoral researcher, Nanyang Technological University

2022

One of the Top 10 Optical Events with Social Influence in China

2021

The Chinese Government Outstanding Self-Financed Student Scholarship

2017

B.S. degree, Nankai University

Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis

Dr. Gui-Geng Liu has been focusing on the exploration of new mechanisms and physics in the platform of classical such as photonic and acoustics systems. His research areas include topological physics, non-Hermitian physics, and structured optical fields. Typically, Dr. Liu has theoretically and experimentally discovered a series of novel topological phases in the platform of non-reciprocal photonic systems. The following are some of his significant contributions:

1. He constructed the first three-dimensional Chern insulator. The construction of Chern insulators, as one of the fundamental and important topological states in the field of topological physics, has been a central topic of research. Previous studies only achieved two-dimensional Chern insulators (such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect), while the existence of three-dimensional Chern insulators remained unexplored. Dr. Liu, in collaboration with his colleagues, successfully constructed the first three-dimensional Chern insulator using three-dimensional magnetic photonic crystals, thus advancing the study of Chern insulators into the three-dimensional regime. Additionally, he extended the bulk-boundary correspondence of Chern insulators and experimentally constructed Chern vectors to characterize three-dimensional Chern insulators, leading to the discovery of knots and links of topological surface states.

2. He investigated band degeneracies in non-reciprocal systems, including unpaired Dirac points in two-dimensional systems and the fundamental magnetic Weyl points in three-dimensional systems.

3. He explored disorder-induced topological states in non-reciprocal systems, and constructed amorphous topological insulators and topological Anderson insulators.

4. He studied chiral boundary states, including the construction of the first one-dimensional chiral edge states in Dirac semimetals and the first two-dimensional chiral surface states in Weyl semimetals.

In addition to the above-mentioned work, Dr. Liu has made contributions in the fields of topological acoustics, non-Hermitian physics, structured optical fields, and liquid crystal metamaterials.

(*corresponding author, #co-first author)

1.  Gui-Geng Liu, et al. Topological Chern vectors in three-dimensional photonic crystals, Nature 609, 925 (2022).

2. Gui-Geng Liu, et al. Topological Anderson insulator in disordered photonic crystals, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 133603 (2020).

★ Featured in APS Physics & Editors’ Suggestion

3.  Gui-Geng Liu, et al. Observation of an unpaired photonic Dirac point, Nat. Commun. 11, 1873 (2020).

4. Xiang Xi, …, Gui-Geng Liu*, et al. Topological antichiral surface states in a magnetic Weyl photonic crystal, Nat. Commun. 14, 1991 (2023).

5. Linyun Yang, …, Gui-Geng Liu*, et al. Observation of Dirac hierarchy in three-dimensional acoustic topological insulators, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 125502 (2022).

★ Editors’ Suggestion

6.  Peiheng Zhou, Gui-Geng Liu*, et al. Observation of photonic antichiral edge states, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 263603 (2020).

7. Peiheng Zhou, Gui-Geng Liu#, et al. Photonic amorphous topological insulator, Light Sci. Appl. 9, 133 (2020).

Our laboratory focuses on research in the field of topological physics (based on classical systems such as microwaves, terahertz, optics, acoustics, and circuits), non-Hermitian physics and other related areas. We also welcome scholars from diverse scientific backgrounds to join our laboratory. Interested individuals can contact Dr. Liu directly to discuss research opportunities and collaborations. Funding support and available resources can be provided by the laboratory, depending on the circumstances.

Currently, we are seeking members including postdoctoral fellows, Ph. D. students, and research assistants. The laboratory offers competitive benefits, an intellectually stimulating academic environment, and promising research projects. Prospective applicants are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Liu directly at their earliest convenience. For postdoctoral candidates whose availability precedes the PI's start date, the possibility of joint training with other laboratories can be explored, with the corresponding benefits and research funding being provided by our laboratory.