Chuan Liao
Assistant Professor, Department of Global Development

About
Dr. Chuan Liao is Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. As a human-environment scientist, his research interest lies at the intersection of environment, development, and justice. He obtained his BS in Resource Science at Beijing Normal University in 2010, and MS and PhD in Natural Resources at Cornell University in 2012 and 2015. His postdoctoral journey took him to the University of Michigan, where he was a research fellow from 2015 to 2018. Subsequently, he held a position as Assistant Professor in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University until 2022. His research program aims at better understanding how development innovations in institution and technology affect human-environment wellbeing. Specific domains include agrifood system innovation, sustainable energy transition, global dryland sustainability, and climate change adaptation. He develops and applies integrated approaches to study human-environment interactions by linking statistical, spatial, and other quantitative methods. He has published his work in Development & Change, Ecological Economics, Global Environmental Change, Landscape Ecology, Nature Food, Science, among other journals. He was editor-in-chief of World Development in 2021 and 2022, and sits on the editorial board of Journal of Peasant Studies. He is a coordinating lead author of the Transformative Change Assessment of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture.
External Grants
- National Science Foundation (2024-2026). SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: Community-driven Innovations in Rice for Climate Adaptation in New York State (CIRCA-NYS). PI: Chuan Liao; Co-PIs: Jenny Kao-Kniffin, Matthew Reid.
- National Science Foundation (2024-2027). IRES: Student-Scout Partnership for Exploring Sustainable Transitions in the Kenyan Drylands. PI: Chuan Liao; Co-PIs: Daniel Rubenstein, Arun Agrawal.
- United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (2023-2027). Agricultural Floodplain Rice Farming as Adaptation to Climate Change in New York State. PI: Chuan Liao.
- United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (2023-2027). Circular Soil for City Spaces: Advancing the circular bionutrient economy to support urban and peri-urban gardeners. PI: Rebecca Nelson, Co-PIs: Johannes Lehmann, Chuan Liao, Erika Palmer.
Education
- PhD, 2015, Natural Resources, Cornell University
- MS, 2012, Natural Resources, Cornell University
- BS, 2010, Resource Science, Beijing Normal University
Interests
Environment, development & justice
Climate change mitigation & adaptation
Statistical & spatial methods
Research Focus
Dr. Chuan Liao’s overall research goal is to advance science-based, data-driven solutions that address pressing issues in sustainability and development. His interdisciplinary approach integrates both natural and social sciences to explore the nuanced interactions in coupled human-environment systems. These interactions serve as a focal point for his research as they elucidate adaptation mechanisms in the face of various challenges, be it climate change, environmental degradation, social injustice, or land tenure change. Such challenges are escalating, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly in remote regions where livelihoods are closely tied to natural resources like forests and rangelands. Within these contexts, he seeks to make prescriptive predictions about the impact of social-ecological changes and better inform sustainable and inclusive development.
As a scholar with a multifaceted background in environmental social science, he employs a range of quantitative and mixed-methods techniques. These include the use of comprehensive datasets – from household surveys and remote sensing to GPS-tracking and participatory mapping – and advanced computational tools such as machine learning, causal inference, and cloud computing. This enables him to uncover novel insights into both social equity and environmental justice issues at multiple scales. Additionally, he maintains an active role in engaged scholarship through interactions with policy makers and historically marginalized communities, including smallholder farmers and pastoralists in Central Asia and East Africa, as well as small-scale rice farmers in New York State, to ensure that his research serves the broader societal good.
Dr. Liao has published extensively on topics including human-environment systems, agrifood system innovation, sustainable energy transition, global dryland sustainability, and climate change adaptation. His work has appeared in Development & Change, Ecological Economics, Global Environmental Change, Landscape Ecology, Nature Food, Science, among other journals. A selection of his recent publications is listed below. For a complete list of his publications, please refer to his Google Scholar page.
Teaching Focus
Dr. Chuan Liao’s overarching teaching goal is to empower students to tackle complex environmental and societal challenges in real-world scenarios. He is convinced that the key to teaching excellence lies in nurturing students’ intellectual curiosity and fostering a mindset geared towards lifelong learning. This philosophy inspires him to be an enthusiastic, dedicated, and engaged educator. Utilizing a pedagogical approach that is problem-oriented, student-centered, and reliant on active learning, he aims to expose students to a range of perspectives, arm them with a diverse skill set, and ultimately prepare them for informed and responsible decision-making in their professional and civic lives.
Courses Taught
GDEV 2065 Environment and Development
This course delves into the intricate relationship between development and environmental issues from local to global scales. The ways we organize our economy, our culture, our social interactions, and the environment to meet our development needs have a profound impact on our ability to sustain ourselves, our society, and the planet. Through this course, you will explore the interconnected theoretical and practical aspects of environment and development, as well as the diverse dimensions of sustainability and the complex tradeoffs and synergies they entail. By taking a holistic perspective on development trajectories and the accompanying transformation of landscapes, you will critically analyze the barriers and sustainability challenges we face. Additionally, you will examine the social, environmental, economic, and institutional dimensions of these challenges and evaluate proposed solutions. By engaging with these multifaceted topics, you will gain a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics between development and the environment, equipping yourself to address real-world sustainability issues with a well-rounded perspective.
GDEV 3295 Introduction to Data Science for Global Development with R
In this course, you will learn how to program in R and use R for effective data analysis and visualization, with demonstration examples and practice datasets focusing on the interdisciplinary field of global development. You will convert raw data into understanding and knowledge by using R for importing data, managing variables, executing basic functions, developing loops, creating linear models, and generating various kinds of graphs. This course is designed for those who have no experience in R or programming in general. It is a hands-on course to enable students to develop skills and solve statistical problems using R. It will help you to develop programming skills and introduce you to a new way of thinking and a new syntax for writing for data analysis, visualization, and communication.
GDEV 4290/5290 Introduction to Data Science with R
The goal of this course is to introduce to students the applied aspects of R programming for conducting basic data-driven research. R has emerged as one of the most popular programming languages across a wide range of disciplines. It provides a rich environment for working with data, especially for statistical modeling and graphics. In this course we will cover data import and management, basic functions, plotting tools, loops and functions, basic linear models, and various graphing tools. Course content focuses on design and implementation of R programs to meet routine and specialized data manipulation, management, and analysis objectives. This is a hands-on, project-based course to enable students to develop skills and to solve statistical problems using R. Attention will also be given to mastering concepts and tools necessary for implementing reproducible research, with examples in the context of global development, environmental sustainability, and food systems. This is a workshop style course, and requires you to identify a dataset of your interest. It is ideal if the dataset is related to your thesis or dissertation research, but you can also obtain one online. At the end of the semester, you will synthesize your weekly assignment, and develop a coherent research report. This should at least include research question(s), description of your dataset and methods, results and interpretation, and how your findings address your research question(s).
At the international level, Dr. Chuan Liao has contributed to shaping policy discussions through my involvement with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). As part of a collaborative team, he served as a coordinating lead author for Chapter 2 of the Transformative Assessment Report. This thematic assessment aims to explore and identify various societal factors that could be harnessed for the wise conservation, restoration, and use of biodiversity. All these efforts are carried out in the context of broader social, economic goals and the framework of sustainable development. This collective endeavor has received notable recognition, including the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, presented by a jury chaired by Angela Merkel.
Dr. Liao’s research has attracted substantial interest from policymakers, facilitating engagements that advance sustainable agriculture initiatives. In summer 2023, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the research team’s experimental rice farm and expressed strong support for our rice project as a promising climate-resilient crop for NYS and beyond. He followed up with a visit to her office in October 2024, where he met with her legislative aide to outline our vision for ecological rice in NYS, emphasizing its potential economic, social, and environmental benefits. This dialogue holds promise for shaping discussions within the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry to support small-scale farms and promote sustainable agriculture. Additionally, he engaged with NYS Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, to discuss potential policy and funding support for our rice initiative in August 2024. Together, these discussions reflect a growing policy interest in promoting climate-smart agriculture and underscore the project’s potential to shape sustainable agricultural transitions in NYS and beyond.
Contact Information
250A Warren Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
cl824 [at] cornell.edu
Recent Publications
- Lee, Y.*, Liao, C. 2024. Upholding Household Agency in Climate Mitigation and Socio-Technical Energy Transition in Ethiopia. Energy Policy, 188 (2024) 114067. *Graduate Mentee
- Liao, C. 2024. Beyond Linear Pathways: An Interconnected Framework for Understanding the Climate-Migration Nexus. International Migration (accepted).
- Yuan, Y., Li, X., Wang, H., Geng, X., Gu, J., Fan, Z., Wang, X., Liao, C. 2024. Unraveling the Global Economic and Mortality Effects of Rising Urban Heat Island Intensity. Sustainable Cities and Society 116 (2024) 105902.
- Shuai, C., Liao, C., Qu, S., Chen, X., Zhao, B., Zou, J., Xu, M. Scaling of Development Indicators in Countries and Its Origin. iScience 27, 110497.
- Zhang L., Huang Q., Qiu J., Liao, C., Liu Z., He C., Chen P., Zhou Y., Bai Y., Bryan B. 2024. Conceptualizing and quantifying virtual flows of ecosystem services. Ecosystem Services 69 (2024) 101651.
- Fu, H., Cai, M., Jiang P., Fei D., Liao, C. 2024. Multi-objective optimization of spatial pattern towards low-carbon transition in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China. Landscape Ecology (2024) 39:156.
- Fu, H., Li, Y, Jiang, P., Zhou, S., Liao, C. 2024. Transition Towards Sustainable Diets: Multi-Objective Optimization of Dietary Pattern in China. Sustainable Production and Consumption 48 (2024) 14-28.
- Liao, C., Agrawal, A. 2024. Towards a Science of ‘Land Grabbing’. Land Use Policy 137 (2024) 107002.
- Liao, C., Liu, J., Agrawal, A. 2024. Sustainability Governance for Agrarian Transformation under Climate Change. Sustainability Science. doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01422-0
- Liao, C., Jung, S., Brown, D., Agrawal, A. 2024 Does Land Tenure Change Accelerate Deforestation? A Matching-Based Four-Country Comparison. Ecological Economics, 215 (2024) 108011.
- Soto, G., Wilcox S., Clark P., Fava F., Jensen N., Kahiu N., Liao C., Porter B., Sun Y., Barrett, C. 2024. Mapping Rangeland Health Indicators in East Africa from 2000 to 2020. Earth System Science Data (accepted).
- Sun, X., Liu, H., Liao, C., Nong H., Yang, P. 2024. Understanding recreational ecosystem service supply-demand mismatch and social groups’ preferences: Implications for urban–rural planning. Landscape and Urban Planning, 241 (2024) 104903.
- Liao, C., Nolte, K., Brown, D., Lay, J., Agrawal, A. 2023. The Carbon Cost of Agricultural Production in the Global Land Rush. Global Environmental Change, 80 (2023) 102679.
- Fu, H., Hong, N., Liao, C. 2023. Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Chinese Urban Recovery and System Resilience Under the Pandemic New Normal. Cities, 140 (2023) 104385.
- Fang, G., Sun, X., Liao, C., Xiao, Y., Yang P., Liu, Q. 2023. How Do Ecosystem Services Evolve Across Urban–Rural Transitional Landscapes of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region in China: Patterns, Trade-Offs, And Drivers. Landscape Ecology, (2023) 38:1125–1145.
- Wang, Z., Fu, H., Liu, H., Liao, C. 2023. Urban development sustainability, industrial structure adjustment, and land use efficiency in China. Sustainable Cities and Society. 89 (2023) 104338.
- Wang, X.*, Liao, C., Brandhorst, S.*, Clark, P. 2022. Sedentarization as an adaptation to socio-environmental changes? Everyday herding practices in pastoralist communities in Southern Ethiopia. Ecology & Society, 27(3). *Graduate Mentee
- Fu, H., Zhao, S., Liao, C. 2022. Spatial Governance of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration Towards Low-Carbon Transition. China Agricultural Economic Review, 14(4), 774–798.
- Agrawal, A., Brandhorst, S., Jain, M., Liao, C., Pradhan, N., Solomon, D. 2022. From Environmental Governance to Governance for Sustainability. One Earth, 5(6): 615-621.
- Ye, C., Chen, M., Chen, R., Liao, C. 2022 Rural–Urban Governance toward Sustainable Development Goals. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 232(7): 1405-1408.
- Liao, C., Agrawal, A. 2022. Sustainable and Just Energy Transitions in the Global South (Introduction to A Special Issue). World Development,152:105798.
- Yin, D., Huang, Q., He, C., Hua, X., Liao, C., Inostroza, L., Zhang, L., Bai, Y. 2022. The Varying Roles of Ecosystem Services in Poverty Alleviation among Rural Households in Urbanizing Watersheds. Landscape Ecology, 37: 1673–1692.
- Fu, H., Wang, Y., Mao, L., Hong, N., Wang, Z., Zhao, S., Liao, C. 2022. The Spatial Pattern and Sustainability of Zhongyuan Urban-Rural System in Its Development Trajectory. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 232(7): 1261-1280.
- Liao, C., Nolte, K, Sullivan, J. Brown, D., Lay, J., Althoff, C., Agrawal, A. 2021. Carbon Emissions from the Global Land Rush and Their Potential Mitigation. Nature Food, 2, 15–18.
- Fei, D., Liao, C., Yang, H. 2020. Student Returnees from China’s COVID-19 Epicenter: Spatio-temporal Movement and Impact of Tracing. Social Science & Medicine, 287 (2021) 114371.
- Williams, T., Trush, S., Sullivan, J., Liao, C., Chesterman, N., Agrawal, A., Guikema, S., Brown, D. 2021. Land-use changes associated with large-scale land transactions in Ethiopia. Ecology & Society, 26(4):34.
- Liao, C., Erbaugh, J., Kelly, A., Agrawal, A. 2021. Clean Energy Transitions and Human Well-Being Outcomes in Lower and Middle Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 145 (2021) 111063.
- Chen, C., Long, X., Li, Z., Liao, C., Xie C., Che, S. 2021. Exploring the Determinants of Urban Green Space Utilization Based on Microblog Check-in Data in Shanghai, China. Forests, 2021, 12 1783.
- Liao, C., Fei, D., Huang, Q., Jiang L., Shi, P. 2021. Targeted Poverty Alleviation through Photovoltaic-Based Intervention: Rhetoric and Reality in Qinghai, China. World Development, 137 (2021) 105117.
- Fu, H., Zhang, Y., Liao, C., Mao, L., Wang, Z., Hong, N. 2020. Investigating PM 2.5 Responses to Air Pollutants and Meteorological Factors at Multiple Temporal Scales. Scientific Reports, 10:15639.
- Liao, C., Agrawal, A., Clark, P., Levin, S., Rubenstein, D. 2020. Landscape Sustainability Science in the Drylands: Mobility, Rangeland and Livelihoods. Landscape Ecology, 35, 2433–2447.
- Khatami, R., Southworth, J., Muir, C., Caughlin, T., Ayana, A., Brown, D., Liao, C., Agrawal, A. 2020. Operational Large-Area Land Cover Mapping: An Ethiopia Case Study. Remote Sensing, 2020, 12, 954.
- Liao, C., Jung, S., Agrawal, A., Brown, D. 2020. Socio-Environmental Patterns of Large-Scale Land Transactions: Evidence from Ethiopia, Liberia, Cambodia, and Peru. Land Degradation and Development, 31 (10), 1241-1251.
- Liao, C., Qiu, J., Chen, B., Chen, D., Fu, B., Georgescu, M., He, C., Jenerette, D., Li, X., Li, X., Li, X., Qiuying, B., Shi, P., Wu, J. 2020 Advancing Landscape Sustainability Science: Theoretical Foundation and Synergies with Innovations in Methodology, Design, and Application. Landscape Ecology, 35, 1-9.
Chuan in the news

News
Barriers to adopting solar power persist among rural communities in Ethiopia, where solar panels can promote health and education.
- Department of Global Development
- Solar
- Global Development

News
Cornell Cooperative Extension is helping New York state farmers learn how to grow rice, a potentially lucrative crop that can thrive on flood-prone land as a hedge against climate change.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
- Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management