I completed my BSc in Physics at Beijing Normal University in 2013, followed by an MRes in Controlled Quantum Dynamics at Imperial College London in 2014, and a PhD in Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, in 2019. During my PhD, I investigated the magneto-optical and transport properties of magnetic topological insulator films using a custom-built cryogenic MOKE setup.
I then moved to the University of Oxford, where I worked for four years as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Condensed Matter Physics. During this time, I developed expertise in XMCD and ARPES to explore the interplay between valence state, magnetism and topology in magnetic topological materials.
In 2023, I joined Diamond Light Source as a Postdoctoral Research Associate on I09, focusing on the commissioning of a soft X-ray momentum microscope. Since March 2026, I have worked as a Beamline Scientist in the Structures and Surfaces Group, providing user support across multiple photoemission beamlines and leading independent research on the electronic structure of quantum materials.
My research focuses on the electronic, magnetic and structural properties of quantum materials, using synchrotron-based photoemission and spectroscopy techniques. I specialise in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), soft X-ray momentum microscopy, and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD).
I am particularly interested in strongly correlated and topological quantum materials, magnetic topological systems, exfoliated two-dimensional devices, and obstructed atomic insulators. My current work aims to understand how topology, electron correlation, magnetism, symmetry and reduced dimensionality combine to produce emergent electronic phases.
I have a strong track record in securing and performing synchrotron ARPES beamtime. I am a frequent user of several ARPES beamlines across the world, including I05 at Diamond Light Source in the UK, Bloch at MAX IV in Sweden, MAESTRO at the Advanced Light Source in the USA, and BL5-2/5-4 at Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource in the USA. I am open to discussing collaboration opportunities using ARPES, momentum microscopy, XMCD and other synchrotron-based techniques.
As a Beamline Scientist in the Structures and Surfaces Group, I provide local contact support across multiple photoemission beamlines and end-stations rather than being assigned to a single beamline. My local contact duties cover:
- I05 High Resolution ARPES and Nano ARPES
- B07 High-throughput UHV XPS
- I09 Momentum Microscope
J. Liu et al., “Unusually High Occupation of Co 3d State in Magnetic Weyl Semimetal Co3Sn2S2.” ACS Nano 19, 8561–8570 (2025).
J. Liu and T. Hesjedal, “Magnetic Topological Insulator Heterostructures: A Review.” Advanced Materials 35, 2102427 (2023).
J. Liu et al., “Exchange Bias in Magnetic Topological Insulator Superlattices.” Nano Letters 20, 5315–5322 (2021).
A full publication list can be found on my Google Scholar profile.
