ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Fourteen-year-old Daniel Liu is the youngest member of the Sanford Group at the University of Michigan.
Currently enrolled at the U-M as a junior, Liu is the only undergraduate student working in the organic and organometallic chemistry lab. Overseen by Dr. Melanie Sanford of the department of Chemistry, the position is highly competitive and unusual for an undergraduate student.
According to ChemistryWorld, Liu is currently working with a graduate student at the lab so as to improve the activity of molecules.
While working a the Sandford Group, Liu is also finishing a dual degree in Chemistry and Computer Science.
✉ Like what you’re reading? Sign up for our email newsletter here!
We welcome our youngest member Daniel! Just 14 years old, Daniel joins us as an undergrad coming from the @YoungGroupChem in Toledo.
— Sanford Lab (@Sanford_Lab) September 23, 2019
Check out his previous work published in @J_A_C_S https://t.co/JxAmSQqqs2 pic.twitter.com/yYv5G3fJgG
Prior to his enrollment at the U-M, Liu and his family moved to Ann Arbor from Ohio where he was dual-enrolled at the University of Toledo and his highschool.
Having been propelled into the spotlight in 2015 after winning the “You Be the Chemist” competition when he was 10 years old, Liu has been called a “boy genius” by various news outlets. His competition win also gave him the change to meet former President Obama and science champion, Bill Nye.
In 2016, Liu, who was then 11, became a viral Twitter meme after offering to help his fellow organic chemistry students while at the University of Toledo.
To learn more about the research performed at the Sanford Group in Ann Arbor, visit its website or Twitter page.