Principal Investigators
liaoj@as.edu.tw +886-2-27855696
James C. Liao PRESIDENT
Room 709, IBC, AS
Research
Degrees and Positions Held
Selected Publications
Publication List

Research

Professor Liao is a world leader in metabolic and synthetic biology, particularly in microbial synthesis of fuels and chemicals, and in the redesign of primary metabolic network. He also developed Network Component Analysis (NCA) and Ensemble Modeling for analyzing transcription regulatory networks, and designed synthetic (artificial) gene-metabolic regulatory circuits, which set the foundation for metabolic synthetic biology.

Highlighted Publication: 
Lu, K.-J.; Hsu. C.-W.; Jane, W.-N.; Peng, M.-H.; Chou, Y.-W.; Huang, P.-H.; Yeh, K.-C.; Wu, S.-H.; and  J.C. Liao (2025)  Dual-cycle CO2 fixation enhances growth and lipid synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Science 389, eadp3528 (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adp3528

Degrees and Positions Held

DEGREES

  • 1982 – 1987   Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
  • 1976 – 1980   B.S., Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

POSITIONS HELD

  • 2016 – present   President, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
  • 2016   Distinguished Research Fellow, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica
  • 2015 – 2016   Chair, Bioengineering, UCLA
  • 2013 – 2016   Professor (joint appointment), Department of Bioengineering, UCLA
  • 2012 – 2016   Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
  • 2011 – 2016   Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
  • 2011 – 2016   Professor (joint appointment), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA
  • 2010 – 2016   Member, Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA
  • 2009 – 2012   Vice Chair, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
  • 2008 – 2011   Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
  • 2007 – 2015   Associate Director for Energy Research, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics
  • 2003 – 2007   Associate Director, NASA-UCLA Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration
  • 2002 – 2007   Vice Chair, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
  • 1997 – 2016   Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UCLA
  • 1993 – 1997   Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University
  • 1993 – 1997   Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University
  • 1990 – 1993   Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University
  • 1987 – 1989   Research Scientist, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York

AWARDS / HONORS

  • 2025   Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) by the French government (2025)
  • 2024   Associate Member, European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • 2023   The Gregory N. Stephanopoulos Award for Metabolic Engineering, USA
  • 2021   The Samson - Prime Minister’s prize for innovation in alternative energy and smart mobility for transportation, Israel
  • 2019   Novozymes Award for Excellence in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
  • 2015   Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, USA
  • 2015   Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA
  • 2014   Academician , Academia Sinica
  • 2014   NAS Award for the Industrial Application of Science, USA
  • 2013   ENI Award, Renewable Energy Prize, Italy
  • 2013   Member, National Academy of Engineering, USA
  • 2012   White House Champion of Change for Innovations in Renewable Energy, USA
  • 2010   Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, Academic Category, USA
  • 2009   James E. Bailey Award, Society for Biological Engineering, USA
  • 2009   Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research, AIChE
  • 2009   Marvin J. Johnson Award, American Chemical Society
  • 2008   Charles Thom Award, Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • 2006   Merck Award in Metabolic Engineering
  • 2006   Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Division Award, AIChE
  • 2002   Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
  • 1992   National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award, USA

Selected Publications

Dual-cycle CO2 fixation enhances growth and lipid synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. 
Lu KJ, Hsu CW, Jane WN, Peng MH, Chou YW, Huang PH, Yeh KC, Wu SH, Liao JC 
Science (2025)

Evolutionary engineering of methylotrophic E. coli enables fast growth on methanol. 
Nieh LY, Chen FY, Jung HW, Su KY, Tsuei CY, Lin CT, Lee YQ, Liao JC 
Nature Commun (2024)

An ATP-sensitive phosphoketolase regulates carbon fixation in cyanobacteria. 
Lu KJ, Chang CW, Wang CH, Chen FY, Huang IY, Huang PH, Yang CH, Wu HY, Wu WJ, Hsu KC, Ho MC, Tsai MD, Liao JC 
Nature Metabolism (2023)

A cell-free self-replenishing CO2-fixing system. 
Luo S, Lin PP, Nieh LY, Liao GB, Tang PW, Chen C, Liao JC 
Nature Catalysis (2022)

Converting Escherichia coli to a Synthetic Methylotroph Growing Solely on Methanol. 
Chen FY, Jung HW, Tsuei CY, Liao JC 
Cell (2020)

Metabolic repair through emergence of new pathways in Escherichia coli. 
Pontrelli S, Fricke RCB, Teoh ST, Laviña WA, Putri SP, Fitz-Gibbon S, Chung M, Pellegrini M, Fukusaki E, Liao JC 
Nature Chemical Biology (2018)

Synthetic Non-Oxidative Glycolysis Enables Complete Carbon Conservation. 
Bogorad IW, Lin TS, Liao JC 
Nature (2013)

Integrated electro-microbial conversion of CO2 to higher alcohols. 
Li H, Opgenorth PH, Wernick DG, Rogers S, Wu TY, Higashide W, Malati P, Huo YX, Cho KM, Liao JC 
Science (2012)

Non-Fermentative Pathways for Synthesis of Branched-Chain Higher Alcohols as Biofuels. 
Atsumi S, Hanai T, Liao JC 
Nature (2008)

A synthetic gene-metabolic oscillator. 
Fung E, Wong WW, Suen JK, Bulter T, Lee SG, Liao JC 
Nature (2005)

Publication List