Danny Liu

Danny Liu serves as Professor of Educational Technologies within the Division of Teaching and Learning in the DVC (Education) Portfolio at the University of Sydney. Originally trained as a molecular biologist, he completed a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) with First Class Honours at the University of Sydney in 2006, followed by a PhD from the same university in 2011, which was honored as the most meritorious PhD in the twelve months preceding the award. Liu's research specializations include artificial intelligence, learning analytics, and education technology. He investigates their integration to foster student engagement, advance pedagogical research, support organizational change management, and enhance project outcomes in higher education settings.

In his career trajectory at the University of Sydney, Liu progressed from a Teaching Fellow to his present professorial role in the Educational Innovation team. He co-chairs the institution's AI in Education working group and leads the Cogniti.ai initiative, an AI tool for educators that earned the Australian Financial Review Higher Education AI Award. Liu has received numerous accolades for his teaching excellence, such as the Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, and was named Future Campus Individual Leader of the Year in 2024. His scholarly contributions are substantial, amassing 1,691 citations according to Google Scholar. Prominent works include authoring the white paper "Generative AI in Higher Education: Current Status, Challenges and Prospects" for the Asia-Pacific Rim Universities alliance in 2025; the 2025 publication "Talk is cheap: why structural assessment changes are needed for a generative AI world" in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education; and contributions to papers on learning analytics pilots in Moodle and assurance of learning in online programs. Furthermore, Liu has delivered keynotes and public lectures on AI in education, produced instructional videos for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) highlighting gen AI opportunities and risks, and participated in editorial and committee roles advancing educational practices.

Professional Email: danny.liu@sydney.edu.au