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Xinlai (Adam) Liu

Research Associate/Visiting Lecturer

Systems Engineering Program

Biography

Dr. Xinlai (Adam) Liu is a lecturer and research associate in the Systems Engineering Program at Cornell University. Previously, he was an Ezra Systems Postdoctoral Associate at Cornell from 2023 to 2026. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the University of Hong Kong in 2023. His research spans Trustworthy AI, blockchain systems, and sustainability analytics, with a focus on advancing systems engineering methodologies for complex socio-technical challenges. His work encompasses applications in environmental, social and governance (ESG) assessment, climate action and climate innovation analysis, and production and supply-chain management. His research and teaching projects have been funded by the Environmental Defense Fund and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Boeing gift funding, and Cornell Summer Research Awards. At Cornell, he teaches a graduate course on Industrial Blockchain Systems and Applications, and is actively developing new courses. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals and conference proceedings and received the Honorable Mention Young Scientist Oral Presentation Award at icRS 2026 in Cebu, Philippines. He is an active member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) and serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Green Technologies and Sustainability.

Research Interests

Dr. Liu’s research advances trustworthy, data-driven decision-making for complex socio-technical systems. He develops blockchain and AI methods to make sustainability claims verifiable, incentives credible, and engineering risks manageable, with applications spanning carbon markets, ESG assessment, climate innovation, and the circular economy. His expertise includes:

  • Blockchain systems — consensus, smart contract, tokenized incentive mechanism, traceability
  • Trustworthy AI — physics-informed and trustworthy AI, agentic AI, retrieval-augmented generation
  • Sustainability and socio-technical analytics — ESG informatics, carbon registry/market, climate action and innovation analysis, circular economy
  • Digital transformation — digital twins and Internet of Things for production and supply chain management

Teaching Interests

Dr. Liu teaches SYSEN 5450 Industrial Blockchain Systems and Applications. Future courses include Trustworthy AI Systems, and Systems Engineering for Sustainability. He also runs M.Eng. project courses CS 5900 and SYSEN 5999 related to these topics. He actively mentors undergraduate and graduate researchers and welcomes students interested in blockchain, trustworthy AI, and sustainability systems.

Select Publications

  • Liu, X., Bagchi, T., Harish, A. R., Sy, C. L., & Gao, H. O. (2026). Blockchain and double auction for credible and efficient voluntary carbon market. Applied Energy, 412, 127719.

  • Liu, X., Bagchi, T., Sy, C. L., & Gao, H. O. (2026). A blockchain-based carbon registry platform for credible climate action in transportation. npj Climate Action, 5(1), 23.

  • Liu, X., Jiang, Y., Wang, Z., Zhong, R. Y., Cheung, H. H., & Huang, G. Q. (2023). imseStudio: blockchain-enabled secure digital twin platform for service manufacturing. International Journal of Production Research, 61(12), 3984-4003.

  • Liu, X., Yang, Y., Jiang, Y., Fu, Y., Zhong, R. Y., Li, M., & Huang, G. Q. (2023). Data-driven ESG assessment for blockchain services: A comparative study in textiles and apparel industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 190, 106837.

  • Liu, X. L., Wang, W. M., Guo, H., Barenji, A. V., Li, Z., & Huang, G. Q. (2020). Industrial blockchain based framework for product lifecycle management in industry 4.0. Robotics and computer-integrated manufacturing, 63, 101897.

Select Awards and Honors

  • Honorable Mention Young Scientist Oral Presentation Award, International Conference on Resource Sustainability (icRS 2026), Cebu, Philippines 2026
  • Associate-Level Certificate, Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Program 2024
  • Academic Conference Travel Support Fund, The University of Hong Kong 2023
  • Postgraduate Scholarship, The University of Hong Kong 2019–2023

Education

  • Ph.D., Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, The University of Hong Kong 2023
  • M.Eng., Mechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology 2019
  • B.Eng., Mechanical Design & Manufacturing and Their Automation, Shenzhen University 2016