Dr Chang Liu

Dr Chang Liu is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Optical Sensing and Imaging at the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh. He received his PhD in Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering from Beihang University, China, in 2016. Before joining the University of Edinburgh as a Lecturer in 2018, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), part of the ETH Domain, Switzerland. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in August 2023.

His research focuses on optoelectronic sensing and imaging, with particular interests in laser spectroscopy, AI-enhanced tomographic imaging, smart sensing systems, and physics-informed inverse problems. His work combines advanced optical instrumentation, high-speed data acquisition, and computational imaging techniques to enable non-intrusive, quantitative measurements in complex and harsh environments. A major focus of his research is the development of laser spectroscopic imaging technologies for combustion diagnostics, particularly for gas turbines, aero-engines, and emerging zero-carbon fuels.

Dr Liu has secured over £2 million in research funding as Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator at Edinburgh, alongside substantial industrial contributions. His research has been supported by the EPSRC, Scottish Funding Council, the Royal Society, Innovate UK, and industrial partners. His recent work focuses on translating high-speed laser tomography technologies towards practical industrial applications, including aircraft-engine health monitoring and the diagnosis of hydrogen and ammonia combustion.

He has authored or co-authored approximately 80 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals covering optical sensing, instrumentation, computational imaging, and combustion diagnostics (Google Scholar). His research contributions have been recognised through the Applied Optics Best Paper Award (2022) and the Excellent PhD Thesis Award Nomination from the Chinese Instrument and Control Society (2017).

He is a Senior Member of IEEE (SMIEEE), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and a Data-Driven Innovation Fellow. He serves as an Associate Editor of Measurement and has contributed to the organisation of international conferences, including the IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC). He is selected to perform as IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for Instrumentation and Measurement Society in 2027-2029.

Alongside his research, Dr Liu contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in electronic engineering, particularly analogue circuits and digital system design. He currently serves as Deputy Degree Programme Manager for Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

• 2016 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), School of Instrumentation and Opto-Electronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
• 2010 Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

• Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society (IMS), 2027-2029
• Senior Member, IEEE, 2022–present
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA), 2022–present
• Data-Driven Innovation Fellow, University of Edinburgh, 2025–present
• Member, The Combustion Institute, 2018–present
• Associate Editor, Measurement (Elsevier)

• Digital System Design: Computer Architecture (ELEE10035)
• Analogue Circuits 3 (ELEE09026)
• Digital Systems Laboratory (ELEE09018)

• Laser Spectroscopy and Tomographic Imaging
• Optical Sensing and Instrumentation
• AI-Enhanced Imaging and Inverse Problems
• Combustion and Reactive Flow Diagnostics

We welcome undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs who are interested in joining our group. Please feel free to contact me.