Professor Gives Students Hands-On Research Opportunities
Dr. Chao Liu is using his own experience to equip and inspire the next generation, providing students with real-world research opportunities that open doors to competitive graduate programs and life-changing careers.
Leaving the familiarity of southern China for the rugged coast of Maine, Dr. Chao Liu embarked on a journey that would shape his future in profound ways.
The challenges of graduate school were more than academic — they were a test of resilience, perseverance and passion. Now a professor of psychology at , Liu is using his own experience to equip and inspire the next generation, providing students with real-world research opportunities that open doors to competitive graduate programs and life-changing careers.
While completing his undergraduate at Bejing Normal University in Zhuhai, a city in the People’s Republic of China, Liu had a keen awareness for the suffering faced by children. He knew he wanted to help, a desire that led him to pursue his graduate degree in developmental psychology from the University of Maine in Orono.
"I saw a lot of broken families during my undergraduate program. In a lot of circumstances, the children needed help,” said Liu. “I knew I wanted to help children who weren’t growing up in good environments.”
After noting the important role family plays in a child’s life, Liu went on to earn his Ph.D. in human development and family sciences at Oklahoma State University. After his doctorate, the timing perfectly fit for him to apply to a position with Cedarville.
“I applied knowing only a little about Cedarville, but God really opened the door to me and showed me where I was meant to be,” said Liu. “I love being surrounded by fellow Christians in a place where I can publicly share my faith. Being here aligns with God’s calling for me to use my skills to help people.”
At Cedarville, Liu is always willing to help students get involved in research projects and work with them to network at conferences. He currently is working on a research project with eight students and has had 15 students work on research projects in the past. These opportunities have opened doors for many students, like Kira Waltz and Charis Chen. Both Waltz and Chen have gone on to prestigious graduate programs, with Waltz pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at the University of Cincinnati and Chen pursuing her Ph.D. in school psychology at Northern Illinois University.
Both Waltz and Chen note how working on research with Liu helped them prepare for and be accepted into graduate programs. Chen contributed the abstract for Liu’s article, published in Wiley Online Library. Waltz contributed the abstract for published in Sage Journals.
“I love seeing students grow and learn over the course of a project,” said Liu. “Students have so many different gifts and strengths. They put a great effort into doing their part and developing their skills.”
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduateprograms across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.