External Faculty Profile
Andrea J. Liu, Hepburn Professor of Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Director, Center for Soft and Living Matter, University of Pennsylvania
1. How did you first get involved with SFI?
I was invited by Cris Moore to participate in the 2024 Colloquium Series. I knew of SFI for years, but I didn’t realize how stimulating the environment was until I visited and had a wonderful time.
2. What does SFI mean to you?
A place that represents curious quantitative exploration without disciplinary boundaries. I find that very exciting. You can interact with scientists from other fields where everyone has the attitude that it’s ok to go beyond your base of knowledge. It’s about exploring ideas wherever they might take you.
3. How have you been involved with SFI recently?
I joined SFI’s External Faculty in 2024 and the Science Board in 2025. I spoke at the 2025 Spring Complexity Symposium and visited in May. In my role as vice chair of the Committee on Human Rights of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, I led an SFI informal discussion on the current situation at the intersection of U.S. science and human rights. I am now collaborating with David Wolpert on thermodynamics limits of learning without a processor in physical systems.
4. What are you working on now?
I am working on developing a new unified paradigm for emergent, complex functionality. This ranges from biology and materials to new physical systems that can learn AI tasks without a processor.