08/2013-05/2020: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D. of Chemistry with honor (T. S. Piper Award), Advisor: Professor Gregory S. Girolami.
09/2009 – 06/2013: Nanjing University, Bachelor of Chemistry

07/2023 – now: Assistant Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
07/2020 – 03/2023: Postdoc Researcher, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside (Advisor: Professor Richard R. Schrock, Nobel Prize laureate)

Transition metal organometallic chemistry and inorganic chemistry
Atomic Layer Deposition/ Atomic Layer Etching
Development of other chemical tools for engineering applications

Before sjtu:
1. Liu, S.; Girolami, G. S.*, Platinum(II) Di-ω-alkenyl Complexes as “Slow-Release” Precatalysts for Heat-Triggered Olefin Hydrosilylation. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 17492-17509.
2. Liu, S.; Boudjelel, M.; Schrock, R. R.*; Conley, M. P.; Tsay, C., Interconversion of Molybdenum or Tungsten d2 Styrene Complexes with d0 1-Phenethylidene Analogues. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 17209-17218.
3. Liu, S.; Zhang, Z.; Gray, D.; Zhu, L.; Abelson, J. R.; Girolami, G. S., Platinum ω-Alkenyl Compounds as Chemical Vapor Deposition Precursors: Synthesis and Characterization of Pt[CH2CMe2CH2CH═CH2]2 and the Impact of Ligand Design on the Deposition Process. Chem. Mater. 2020, 32, 9316-9334.
4. Liu, S.; Schrock, R. R.*; Conley, M. P.; Carta, V. Formation of a Metathesis-Active Molybdenum Alkylidene from 1,7-Octadiene via Rearrangement of a Molybdabicyclopentane. Organometallics., 2023, 42, 2321-2325.
5. Liu, S.; Schrock, R. R.*; Conley, M. P.; Tsay, C., Carta, V. An Exploration of the Acid-Catalyzed Interconversion of Mo(NAr)(CR1R2)(OR)2 Complexes and Their Mo(NAr)(Olefin)(OR)2 Isomers (Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3, OR = OSiPh3 or OAr). Organometallics., 2023, 42, 2251-2261.
6. Liu, S.; Conley, M. P.; Schrock, R. R.* Synthesis of Mo(IV) para-Substituted Styrene Complexes and an Exploration of Their Conversion to 1-Phenethylidene Complexes. Organometallics., 2023, 42, 1087-1093.
7. Liu, S.; Smith, B. A.; Kirkland, J. K.; Vogiatzis, K. D.*; Girolami, G. S.*, Nature of the Short Rh–Li Contact between Lithium and the Rhodium ω-Alkenyl Complex [Rh(CH2CMe2CH2CH═CH2)2]?. Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60, 8790-8801.
8. Liu, S.; Girolami, G. S.*, Synthesis and Characterization of 2,2-Dimethylpent-4-en-1-yl Complexes of Rhodium and Iridium: Reversible Olefin Decomplexation and C–H Bond Activation. Organometallics 2021, 40, 714-724.
9. Liu, S.*; Girolami, G. S.*, Microscale Vacuum Distillation Apparatus for High-Boiling, Air- and Heat-Sensitive Liquids. Talanta 2021, 223, 121747.
10. Liu, S.; Zhang, Z.; Abelson, J. R.; Girolami, G. S.*, Platinum ω-Alkenyl Compounds as Chemical Vapor Deposition Precursors. Mechanistic Studies of the Thermolysis of Pt[CH2CMe2CH2CH═CH2]2 in Solution and the Origin of Rapid Nucleation. Organometallics 2020, 39, 3817-3829.
11. Liu, S., Gray D., Zhu L., and Girolami, G. S.*, Lithium–Olefin π-Complexes and the Mechanism of Carbolithiation: Synthesis, Solution Behavior, and Crystal Structure of (2,2-Dimethylpent-4-en-1-yl)lithium. Organometallics 2019, 38, 2199-2210. Featured in the cover of issue 12.
12. Liu, S.; Girolami, G. S.*, Tetrakis(dimethoxyboryl)methane, IUCrData 2016, 1, x161264.
13. Zhang, Z. V.; Liu, S.; Girolami, G. S.; Abelson, J. R.*, Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition of HfB2 on Al2O3 over SiO2 and the Acceleration of Nucleation on SiO2 by Pretreatment with Hf[N(CH3)2]4. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A 2020, ASD2020, 023415.
14. Zhang, Z. V.; Liu, S.; Girolami, G. S.; Abelson, J. R.*, Ultrasmooth Cobalt Films on SiO2 by Chemical Vapor Deposition Using a Nucleation Promoter and a Growth Inhibitor. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A 2020, ASD2020, 023414.
15. Zhang, Z. V.; Liu, S.; Girolami, G. S.; Abelson, J. R.*, Area-Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition of Cobalt from Dicobalt Octacarbonyl: Enhancement of Dielectric-Dielectric Selectivity by Adding a Coflow of NH3. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A 2020, 38, 033401.
16. Mohimi, E., Zhang, Z. V., Mallek, J. L., Liu, S., Trinh, B. B., Shetty, P. P., Girolami, G. S., Abelson, J. R.*, Low Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition of Superconducting Vanadium Nitride Thin Films. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A. 2019, 37, 031509.
17. Mohimi, E., Canova, K.; Zhang, Z., Liu, S., Mallek, J. L., Girolami, G. S., Abelson, J. R.*, Low Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition of Superconducting Molybdenum Carbonitride Thin Films. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A. 2019, 37, 021503.
18. Mohimi, E., Zhang, Z., Liu, S., Mallek, J. L., Girolami, G. S., Abelson, J. R.*, Area Selective CVD of Metallic Films from Molybdenum, Iron, and Ruthenium Carbonyl Precursors: Use of Ammonia to Inhibit Nucleation on Oxide Surfaces. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A. 2018, 36, 041507.
19. Talukdar, T. K., Liu, S., Zhang, Z., Harwath, F., Girolami, G. S., Abelson, J. R.*, Conformal MgO Film Grown at High Rate at Low Temperature by Forward-Directed Chemical Vapor Deposition. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A. 2018, 36, 051504.
20. Elg, D. T.*, Panici, G. A., Liu, S., Girolami, G. S., Srivastava, S. N., Ruzic, D. N.* Removal of Tin from Extreme Ultraviolet Collector Optics by In-Situ Hydrogen Plasma Etching. Plasma Chem. Plasma Process. 2018, 38, 223-245.

1. Girolami, G. S. and Liu, S.; “Metal Complexes for Depositing Films and Method of Making and Using the Same,” U.S. Patent 11,008,353 (Patented Mar. 14th, 2021);
2. Girolami, G. S. and Liu, S.; “Metal Complexes for Depositing Films and Method of Making and Using the Same,” U.S. Patent 11,253,846 (Patented Feb. 22nd, 2022); International application No. PCT/US2021/021746.
3. Abelson, J. R., Mohimi, E., Girolami, G. S., Liu, S., Zhang, Z.; “Area Selective CVD of Metallic Films Using Precursor Gases and Inhibitors,” U.S. Patent 11,584,986 (Patented Feb. 21st, 2023).

T.S. Piper Award for Outstanding Inorganic PhD Thesis, (2018, UIUC)