Bio
Dr. Xiaobing Liu is a Distinguished R&D Staff member in the Energy Science and Technology Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He currently leads the Thermal Energy Storage Group and manages the Geothermal Program at ORNL. With 25 years of experience in developing technologies that enhance energy efficiency while maintaining thermal comfort in the built environment, Dr. Liu has established himself as a prominent expert in his field. He has been an ASHRAE Fellow since 2025.
Throughout his career, Dr. Liu has spearheaded numerous research and development projects and created a variety of software tools and prototypes for innovative HVAC equipment. His contributions include software that facilitates the design and techno-economic analysis of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems, as well as cost-effective ground heat exchangers and thermal energy storage solutions integrated with heat pumps. He also worked on advancing high-density energy storage and dehumidification systems utilizing sorption technologies.
Dr. Liu's scholarly work includes over 35 journal articles and more than 110 conference papers and reports. He serves as the Research Committee Chair for the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) and has previously held the role of Research Subcommittee Chair at ASHRAE TC 6.8, concentrating on Geothermal Energy Utilization and Energy Recovery.
In recognition of his exceptional contributions, Dr. Liu was a co-recipient of the Ritter Von Rittinger Award from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Heat Pump Center in 2017. He also received the Distinguished Service Award from ASHRAE in 2020, the R&D 100 Award (as part of a team) in 2022, and multiple Best Paper and Presentation Awards at various conferences.
Dr. Liu earned his Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University (OSU) in 2005. After graduating, he joined ClimateMaster as the Systems Engineering Manager, where he developed modules for the eQUEST program to simulate GSHP systems and played a key role in designing over 30 GSHP systems globally.