WEI LIAO, Ph.D., P.E. Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, Michigan
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Wei Liao Curriculum Vita 1 of 27 WEI LIAO, Ph.D., P.E. Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University 524 S. Shaw Ln. Room 202, East Lansing, MI 48824 Phone: 517-432-7205; E-mail: [email protected]; Webpage: http://www.egr.msu.edu/liao EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Research • Developed a unique, cross-disciplinary research program, aiming at environmentally benign systems to utilize organic wastes and wastewater for fuel and value-added chemical production • Lead the MSU Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (with ~18 faculty members), developing new cross-disciplinary initiatives on wastes-to-resource research and development, and responding to major grant opportunities • Established pilot facilities and conducted pilot-scale research in the U.S. and overseas, including the MSU anaerobic digestion/algal cultivation system, the container-based solar-bio-nano wastewater utilization system, the pilot-scale photobioreactor system at the MSU power plant, and the pilot solar-biopower system in Costa Rica • Acquired over $7 million in grant support for research activities, from a range of sources, including competitive federal programs, state agencies, and private industry • Continuously funded as PI by competitive federal grants for the past 10 years, currently PI on two federal grants (~$1.5 million) • Authored or co-authored 70+ refereed journal articles, with a total of 190+ publications, papers, or presentations at national and international meetings Education/teaching • Acquired external educational grants in support of instructional activities, presented the results at educational conferences and published chapters in textbook • Developed several new courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels for different programs, including a graduate-level environmental course for the MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP), a graduate-level seminar course, two undergraduate-level courses related with microbial systems engineering and biomass conversion engineering • Participated in development of new dual-degree program with an oversea institution • Co-lead the study abroad program of Ecological Engineering in the Tropics, a two-week long educational program in Costa Rica Service/leadership • Served in leadership positions in professional organizations and in on-campus committees at the departmental, college, and university levels • Served as a board member for a non-profit renewable energy coalition • Served on review panels for federal and overseas funding agencies, including NSF, DOE, USDA, and the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) International activities • Established the MSU-UCR bioenergy research and education facility in Central America, collaborating with academic and industrial institutions in Central America to develop sustainable energy solutions for the region, and helping UCR establish Biosysems Engineering curriculum • Developed a bioenergy solution for Southern Italy, working with a group of Italian researchers to establish models to estimate potential bioenergy production for Sicily. • Led an international team to develop integrated thermal and biological solution of crop residues utilization to address the smog problem in Beijing, China • Facilitated establishment of the MSU-NAU dual degree program 27 1 Wei Liao Curriculum Vita 2 of 27 EDUCATION • Ph.D., Biological Systems Engineering, December 2005, Washington State University • M.S., Biotechnology, December 1996, Jiangnan University, China • B.S., Fermentation Engineering & Technology, July 1994, Jiangnan University, China PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIAL • Licensed Professional Engineer, Washington State No. 42913 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Professor and Director, Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center, Dept. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), July 2019 – Present Assistant/Associate Professor, Dept. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), August 2007 – June 2019 • Manage the MSU Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center • Study the combination of biological and electrochemical processes to treat wastewater • Integrate solar, biological and nano technologies to develop novel food, energy, and water (FEW) systems • Biological conversion of lignocellulosic materials for value-added chemical production • Capture carbon dioxide and generate value-added products using algae • Scale up and study biological processes at the pilot-scale Research Associate, Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University (Pullman, WA), January 2006 – July 2007 • Developed a biomass inventory and bioenergy assessment for Washington State • Developed a novel process of fungal fermentation using Aspergillus terreus to produce lovastatin and chitosan • Designed a fiber reactor to treat dairy manure to produce high quality fiber the plant nursery industry Research/Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University (Pullman, WA), July 2001 – December 2005 • Completed the doctoral thesis: “Co-production of Fumaric Acid and Chitin Using Rhizopus Oryzae Fermentation on a Pretreated Nitrogen-rich Agricultural Residue—Dairy manure”. Graduate research advisor is Dr. Shulin Chen • Developed a new state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion system for dairy waste with possibilities for co-digestion with municipal and food wastes • Be a research Associate in NSF (National Science Foundation) IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training) program Project Manager, Brewing Department, Suntory Co. (Shanghai, P.R. China), January 1997—July 2000 • Conducted a technical feasibility analysis of an new production line • Participated in the project team to construct the new plant for 200,000 metric ton beer production per year • Managed the installation of equipment and process control systems for the new brewing house 27 2 Wei Liao Curriculum Vita 3 of 27 • Designed a process to shorten the fermentation time by 20% and saved $ 3 million/yr • Researched and developed on scaling up fermentation processes from bench top, through pilot test, to plant production AWARDS • Team member for the partnership award for innovative program models, USDA CSREES, 2009. PATENTS • Liu, Y., Liao, W., Frear, C., Chen, S. 2010. Pelletization process to control filamentous fungi morphology for enhanced reactor rheology and bioproduct formation. U.S. Patent 12/132,130. PUBLICATIONS * = peer-reviewed or refereed items † = completed since 2013 1 = candidate’s students or post-doctoral researchers 2 = candidate’s thesis adviser 3 = lead authors Peer-reviewed journal articles (75) [1] †*Valenti, F., Porto, S.M.C., Dale, B.E., Liao, W.3 2018. Spatial analysis of feedstock supply and logistics to establish regional biogas power generation: A case study in Sicilian region. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 97, 50-63. [2] †*Paritosh, K., Yadav, M., Mathur, S., Balan, V., Liao, W., Pareek, N., Vivekanand, V.3 2018. Organic fraction of municipal solid waste: overview of treatment methodologies to enhance anaerobic biodegradability. Frontiers in Energy Research 6, 75. [3] †*Valenti, F., Zhong, Y.1, Sun, M.1, Porto, S. M. C., Toscano, A., Dale, B.E., Sibilla, F., Liao, W.3 2018. Anaerobic co-digestion of multiple agricultural residues to enhance biogas production in Southern Italy. Journal of Waste Management 78, 151-157. [4] †*Valenti, F., Liao, W., Porto, S.M.C.3 2018. A GIS-based spatial index of feedstock- mixture availability for anaerobic co-digestion of Mediterranean by-products and agricultural residues. Journal of Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining 12(3), 362-378. [5] †*Rojas-Sossa, J. P., Murillo, M., Marsh, T., Larsen, N., Uribe, L., Uribe-Lorio, L., Miranda, A., Solis, K., Rodriguez, W., Kirk, D., Liao, W.3 2017. Effects of coffee processing residues on anaerobic microorganisms and corresponding digestion performance. Bioresource Technology 245, 714-723. [6] †*Pavlik, D., Zhong, Y.1, Elizabeth, C.1, Liao, W., Morgan, R., Clary, W., Liu, Y.3 2017 Microalgae cultivation of carbon dioxide sequestration and protein production using a high- efficiency photobioreactor system. Algal Research 25, 413-420. [7] †*Li, Q.3, 1, Liu, Y., Liao, W., Powers, W. 2017. Microalgal cultivation using animal production exhaust air: technical and economic feasibility. CLEAN - Soil, Air, Water 45(4) 1500309. [8] †*MacLellan, J.1, Chen, R.1, Yue, Z.B.1, Kraemer, R.1, Liu, Y., Liao, W.3 2017. Effects of protein and lignin on cellulose and xylan analyses of lignocellulosic biomass. Journal of Integrative Agriculture 16(6), 1268-1275. 27 3 Wei Liao Curriculum Vita 4 of 27 [9] †*Bustamante-Roman, M.1, Liao, W.3 2017. A self-sustaining high-strength wastewater treatment system using solar-bio-hybrid power generation. Bioresource Technology 234, 415-423. [10] †*Pelaez-Samaniego, M. R.3, Hummel, R. L., Liao, W., Ma, J., Jensen, J., Kruger, C., Frear, C. 2017. Approaches for adding value to anaerobically digested dairy fiber. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Review 72, 254-268. [11] †*Liu, Z., Liu, Y.3, Oyetunde, T., Hollinshead, W. D., Hermanns, A., Tang, Y., Liao, W. 2017. Exploring eukaryotic formate metabolisms to enhance microbial growth and lipid accumulation. Biotechnology for Biofuels 10, 22. [12] †*Zhong Y.1, Liu, Z., Isaguirre, C.1, Liu, Y., Liao, W.3 2016. Fungal fermentation on anaerobic digestate for lipid-based biofuel production. Biotechnology for Biofuels 9, 253. [13] †*Aguilar, R., Bustamante, M.1,