Q & A with Shanglei Liu

Tell us about your path to UC San Diego.

I was born in Beijing, China, moved to the Bay Area when I was 12, and then came to San Diego for college. I attended UC San Diego for my undergrad, medical school, master’s degree and surgery residency. I loved how the people and atmosphere at UC San Diego facilitated collaboration and scientific growth. So, after a one-year colorectal surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic, I came back to UC San Diego as a surgery attending, where I’ve been for the last six years.

You describe yourself as a surgeon-engineer. What made you interested in engineering and medicine?

I was originally interested in engineering. I always had a knack for math and science, and I liked solving problems. In college, I was studying bioengineering and planned to work in industry. But in my sophomore year, I volunteered at the Scripps Health PACU (post-anesthesia care unit). The positive impact these doctors had on patients seemed more concrete than that of engineers, who do not necessarily get to see the outcome of their efforts. So instead of pursuing engineering, I decided to go into medicine and became a surgeon.

How do surgery and engineering intersect?

In my mind, surgery is actually very similar to conventional mechanical engineering. In surgery, you analyze a physical problem and use engineering and biological principles to facilitate healing by removing or augmenting the underlying tissue. The two fields are very similar, meaning there is a lot of room for collaboration. Surgery would not be where it is today without parallel advancements in technology and surgical tools.

What projects are you working on that combine the two fields?

Most of the projects I work on are related to robotics. I’ve worked on humanoid robotics (human-shaped robots), soft robotics (robots made with compliant materials) and continuum robotics (flexible robots with a long reach). I also work on surgical ergonomics technology, which can help preserve a surgeon’s lifespan by enhancing their positioning during surgery to reduce injury, and surgical imaging through fluorescence guidance.

How does your background in engineering impact your surgical research?

Many of the projects I work on are collaborations with the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Because surgeons and engineers have very different sets of skills, being both helps to bridge the gap. You oftentimes need someone who speaks both languages and understands the benefits and shortcomings of each set of knowledge. When you bring these groups of people together and help them communicate, it’s amazing what we can come up with to benefit patients.

What is unique about the research ecosystem at UC San Diego?

There are two things. The first is that UC San Diego has always been the center of advancements in bioengineering. One of the founding fathers of this field and an old professor of mine, Professor Yuan-Cheng Fung, PhD, was an emeritus professor at UC San Diego. He and the many giants in the field that followed left a legacy of a motivated and scientifically curious department with unparalleled scientific output and continued growth.

The second is that UC San Diego is an incredibly collaborative environment. It is quite a common sight to see researchers work together from different disciplines of engineering, computer science, biology, chemistry, and, of course, medicine.

Why stay at UC San Diego?

I’ve studied at UC San Diego all my life. I have gone through every lab and every building at Jacobs School of Engineering. In this time, I have learned UC San Diego’s biggest asset is how motivated its people are. It’s amazing that I can walk around campus and talk to innovative and like-minded researchers.  There is no shortage of inquisitive students and dedicated professors who are putting their lives into their passion.