Lingjia Liu named Boeing Endowed Professor
Lingjia Liu, Andrew J. Young Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Institute for Advanced Computing at Virginia Tech, has been honored with an appointment as a Boeing Endowed Professor by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.
This Boeing endowed professorship was established with a generous gift from The Boeing Company to recognize a distinguished professor at the Institute for Advanced Computing who has shown outstanding scholarship, innovation, and leadership in advanced computing, communications, and technologies of national and global importance.
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2017, Liu is an internationally recognized leader in telecommunications, especially in the use of machine learning in dynamic and spectrum-constrained environments. His work addresses critical challenges in next-generation wireless systems, and his contributions are directly aligned with emerging needs in 5G-Advanced, 6G, and beyond.
"Dr. Liu’s contributions across research, education, leadership, and national service are exceptional,” said Rose Qingyang Hu, department head of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who nominated Liu for the Boeing Professorship. “He has established himself as a globally recognized leader in NextG wireless systems, with a unique ability to integrate fundamental research, system innovation, and real-world impact. His work not only advances the frontiers of telecommunications but also helps strengthen Virginia Tech’s leadership in advanced computing and wireless communications.”
Liu has authored more than 200 publications, including more than 100 journal articles, more than 100 conference papers and more than 20 granted U.S. patents, with eight best paper awards and more than 11,500 citations.
He has led or contributed to more than 60 externally funded projects spanning federal agencies, industry, and defense partners. A distinguishing characteristic of these projects is their ability to bridge academia, industry, and government. Liu’s early career contributions to the 3rd Generation Partnership standardization have had lasting global impact.
As co-director of Wireless@VT, Liu leads a university-level research center of more than 30 faculty members and more than $10 million in annual research expenditures. Nationally, he served on the board of directors of the National Spectrum Consortium, where he is one of only two academic representatives advising U.S. government agencies on strategic investments in 5G/NextG and spectrum research.
He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for contributions to multi-cell multi-user multiple-input multiple-output and intelligent spectrum access and a fellow of the Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association for contributions to machine learning for wireless systems. He has also been selected as an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer.
Liu has advised and graduated 15 Ph.D. students and 13 master’s degree students and currently advises a large research group of doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. His mentees have gone on to leadership roles across academia, industry, and government laboratories.
Liu received his bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
