Yaohua Liu

Yaohua Liu

STS Diffraction Instrument Development Scientist

Dr. Liu works at the Second Target Station (STS) Project Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is currently developing a next-generation single-crystal neutron diffractometer, PIONEER, to investigate tiny crystals and ultra-thin films that are not feasible at existing instruments. Once built, PIONEER will help researchers speed up novel materials discovery to address national and global challenges. Besides instrumentation, his scientific interests are categorized broadly as quantum materials. The first quantum revolution started nearly a century ago and has brought us modern computers, optical fiber communication, laser, and the global positioning system, all of which are vital to contemporary civilization. However, our technologies are far from fully harnessing the power of quantum mechanics. We are amidst the second quantum revolution that could be more revolutionary than the first one. One central task is manipulating quantum materials to host artificial quantum states by designing and engineering exotic material properties. Advanced instrumentations are essential to achieve this goal.

Before transferring to STS, Yaohua Liu was a neutron scattering scientist at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and worked at the Elastic Diffuse Scattering Spectrometer beamline CORELLI. He has published about 80 peer-reviewed articles; see ORCID (0000-0002-5867-5065) for an up-to-date list.  

[2018] Supplemental Performance Award, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

[2016] Excellence in Research Award First Place, AIP | APL Materials

[2016] Sentinels of Science Awards, Publons
-- Honoring the highest achievers in peer review across the world's journals.

[2009] SPOT Safety Award, Argonne National Laboratory
-- For behavior that not only contributes to a better workplace, but keeps us going strong.

Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Physics, Johns Hopkins University