Earth, Land, Home—A Universal View
Charles Liu, PhD
Our planet, our biosphere, and our humanity connect with one another in beautiful and intricate ways. As we seek solutions to the social and environmental challenges facing our human communities, it becomes increasingly clear that we must incorporate our awareness of these deep universal connections that pull, often invisibly, on us all. Astronomy—perhaps the most universal of all human endeavors—can provide examples, both from the scientific insight of its discoveries and the social impact of its practice, of how we might apply both cosmic and down-to-earth perspectives to find just and lasting answers to our hardest questions about land use, housing, and conservation.
Charles Liu is professor of astrophysics at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island, an associate with the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, and the president of the Astronomical Society of New York. His research focuses on starburst galaxies, supermassive black holes, and the star formation history of the universe. In addition to his research publications, he has also published eleven books about astronomy and science for general audiences, including most recently The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book and The Cosmos Explained, and he hosts the podcast “The LIUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu,” currently in its fifth season. Before beginning his current positions, Charles earned degrees at Harvard and the University of Arizona and held post-doctoral positions at Columbia and Kitt Peak National Observatory. In 2020, he was named a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), and in 2024 he was awarded the AAS Education Prize. He and his wife have three children.