Kuo-Nan Liou | Optica

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In Memoriam: Kuo-Nan Liou, 1944 - 2021

Mar 20, 2021

Kuo-Nan Liou, OSA Fellow and Founding Director of the Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science & Engineering (JIFRESSE) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), passed away on 20 March 2021 at the age of 77. Liou was known for his pioneering work in atmospheric sciences and was a Distinguished Professor in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA. Liou was recognized for his leadership and seminal contributions in research areas such as satellite remote sensing and the role of clouds and aerosols in climate change.

Liou was born in Taiwan and received a B.S degree from National Taiwan University. In 1965, he began his studies at New York University, where he earned an M.S. degree and Ph.D. degree in physics. Liou did post-doctoral research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) before joining the faculty of the University of Utah in 1975. He would stay at the University of Utah until 1997, at which time he accepted a position at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Liou served as department chair from 2000-2004.

UCLA

In 2006, he was made the director of JIFRESSE, a scientific collaboration between UCLA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The institute’s purpose is to improve understanding and develop future projections about global climate change and its effect on regional climates and environments.

During his career, Liou published extensively, including more than 280 peer-reviewed articles and three books, An Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation (1980); Radiation and Cloud Processes in the Atmosphere: Theory, Observation, and Modeling (1992); and Light Scattering by Ice Crystals: Fundamentals and Applications (2016). He was recognized with numerous honors, including becoming an elected fellow of the National Academy of Engineering (1990), OSA Fellow (1984), AAAS Fellow, AGU Fellow, AMS Fellow, Academia Sinica member (2004), and an elected foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2017). In 2007, Liou shared the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Other recognitions bestowed upon Liou included the Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal (2018), Jule G. Charney Award (1998), Committee on Space Research’s William Nordberg Medal (2010), IRC Quadrennial Gold Medal (2012), and the Roger Revelle Medal (2013).

While Liou was the recipient of various recognitions throughout his career, he remained dedicated to his students and to helping future scientists succeed in the field. He was known for being a caring professor and an outstanding leader in the field of atmospheric radiation. Outside of his research, Liou enjoyed watching NBA basketball and spending time with his family. He is survived by his wife, Agnes, and his daughter and son.

OSA and the scientific community mourn the loss of Kuo-Nan Liou.

Awards & Distinctions

Fellow