General Information

Full Name Anna Liu
Languages Polish (native), Mandarin Chinese (native), English (fluent), German (intermediate), Russian (conversational), Cantonese (basic)

Work experience

  • Sep 2026
    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Perimeter Institute
    • I will join Perimeter Institute as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2026!
  • 2025-2026
    Postdoctoral Researcher
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Bayesian analysis of gravitational waves from binary neutron stars
    • Member of Prof. Nicolas Yunes group and MUSES collaboration

Education

  • 2021-2025
    PhD Physics
    The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • Gravitational-wave physics from binary black holes - parameter estimation and phenomenology
    • Gravitational-wave lensing
    • Probing General Relativity with black hole ringdown
  • 2019-2021
    MSc Astronomy & Astrophysics
    KU Leuven, Belgium
    • Thesis title "A phenomenological study of gravitational-wave signatures in higher-derivative gravity"
  • 2015-2018
    BA (Hons) Physics
    University of Oxford, UK

Research projects

  • 2023
    Unravelling Dark Matter with Gravitational-Waves. Gravitational-wave millilensing
    • Developed a lens-model independent framework for analysing lensed GW signals, and implemented into the LIGO Lensing Subgroup search pipeline
  • 2024
    Millilensed or precessing?
    • The first comprehensive study of distinguishing millilensed GWs from precessing signals in the context of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detections
  • 2024
    Millilensing-induced systematic biases in parameterised tests of General Relativity
    • Identified and quantified biases in tests of GR within the parameterised post-Einsteinian framework, employing Bayesian analysis and semi-analytic tools
  • 2024
    Black-hole archaeology. Ancestral masses, spins and birth kick estimates from LIGO and Virgo data
    • Analysed exceptional GW events involving mass-gap black holes, to reveal the crucial role of eccentricity in identifying host environments of binary black holes

Awards

  • 2021
    CUHK Physics Department Teaching Award
    • Based on undergraduate students evaluation of teaching
  • 2017
    Oxford Physics Department Speaking Competition
    • 15-minute presentation, highest mark in the college
  • 2017
    Victor and William Fung Foundation Scholarship
    • Summer research project in stellar astronomy at KIAA, Peking University, Beijing

Seminar Talks and Conferences

  • 2025-2026
    Invited Talks
    • Perimeter Institute (DOI 10.48660/26060068)
    • LVK GWTC-4 Lensing Webinar (online, streamed on YouTube)
    • GWnext Meeting 2026, Beijing, China
    • London-Oldenburg Relativity Seminar (online)
    • Astrophysics, Relativity and Cosmology Seminar, UIUC, USA
  • 2023-2024
    Invited Talks
    • KIAA, Peking University, China (link)
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
    • University of Warsaw Physics Department Seminar, Poland (recording)
  • 2023-2025
    Contributed Talks and Presentations
    • Midwest Relativity Meeting, Guelph, Canada
    • On behalf of the pyRing analysts team, March LVK Meeting 2024 (online)
    • GWPAW Conference 2024, Birmingham, UK
    • APS April Meeting 2024, Sacramento, California, USA
    • Flash Talk and Poster Presentation, September LVK Meeting 2023, Toyama, Japan
    • APS April Meeting 2023, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
    • Poster Presentation, ESA Meeting 2023, Kraków, Poland
  • 2021-2022
    Invited Talks
    • Department Seminar, University of Glasgow, Scotland
    • Department Seminar, KU Leuven, Belgium

Teaching and Mentoring

  • 2023-2024
    Lecture Initiator, Organiser and Teaching Assistant
    • “Quantum Field Theory. An informal course”.
    • Initiator and organiser of the first graduate-level quantum-field theory course at CUHK, lectured by Prof. Kenneth Young, 50 attendees.
  • 2021-2023
    Daily Supervisor
    • Mentor of three undergraduate students on gravitational-wave related research projects
    • Chad Cheuk Nam Chong (2021), Ben Yu On Xu (2023), Thomas Chi Kit Ng (2023).
  • 2021-2024
    Teaching Assistant
    • Undergraduate course “PHYS1110 Engineering Physics. Mechanics and Thermodynamics”.
    • Weekly exercise classes of 30-35 students, individual consultations and assignment marking.

Service and Outreach

  • 2025-2026
    BRIDGE (Building Relations in Diversity and Gender Equity) organizing committee member
    • Inviting speakers and hosting discussions on diversity and gender equity in academia
  • 2021-2023
    Initiator and Co-lead, Weekly Astro Journal Club
    • Initiated and co-led a cross-group journal club (20-30 regular participants) that has continued for five years; Organised speakers and guided discussions promoting collaboration between astrophysics and cosmology researchers.
  • Nov 2023
    Local Organizing Committee Member of an international workshop _Multimessenger Astronomy: Bridging Transients, Lensing, and Dark Matter (Cosmic Frontiers)_
  • 2022
    Workshop Organiser, CUHK Physics Department “Presentation Skills for Scientists” Workshop
    • Online workshop for graduate students, invited guest speaker Dr. Dominic Bowman.
  • since 2021
    Referee, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; Physical Review D
  • since 2021
    Science Communication Translator
    • Translated LVK science summaries and outreach materials into Polish and Chinese.

Coding Skills

  • Coding languages: Python, Mathematica, MATLAB, R Studio.
  • Astrophysics-related software: pyRing (ringdown analysis package) developer, Gravelamps (lensing analyses) developer, Bilby (gravitational-wave parameter estimation), MESA (Stellar Evolution Code), Phoebe (Eclipsing Binary Modelling Software)
  • Graphics and video editors: proficient user of Inkscape, Adobe Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve