New employee spotlight: Wenxin Liu

Clemson welcomes Wenxin Liu, Ph.D., a new lecturer in the Glenn Department of Civil Engineering who specializes in geotechnical engineering. A Clemson alumna, she earned her doctoral degree in civil engineering from Clemson in August 2018 before accepting an offer to continue working in the department as a lecturer.

Liu grew up in Nanjing, China, and earned her undergraduate degree from Nanjing Tech University’s Institute of Geotechnical Engineering. As a student at Nanjing Tech, she attended a lecture given by Clemson Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering Charng-Hsein Juang. Liu immediately connected with Juang’s work and felt that she would benefit greatly from his guidance. After the lecture, she introduced herself to Juang, and the two discussed her interest in his research. Soon after, Liu was on her way to Clemson to earn her degree and conduct research with Juang.

Liu’s research focuses largely on dynamic site response following earthquakes—in other words, what may happen to an area after an earthquake occurs. She recently traveled to Denver to present her published dissertation, “A geostatistical approach toward shear wave velocity modeling and uncertainty quantification in seismic hazard.”

While Liu excels as a researcher, she is a skilled and devoted educator. When asked what accomplishment she is most proud of, Liu noted the overwhelmingly positive feedback she has received from her technical engineering students. For her, positive student feedback is the most encouraging and fulfilling part of her work.

Speaking of her experience at Clemson and her decision to stay here as a lecturer, Liu says, “I love this environment, and I love the student-teacher relationships formed at Clemson. This town is very nice, and it’s been amazing to study and work here.”