About

Prof. Liang Wu’s teaching and research focus is on political economy and critical mobility, globalization, maritime, science and technology, labor, environmental, and policy studies. Since 2006, through ethnographic fieldwork at ports, onboard, overseas, and online, he has been studying the lifeworlds and lifeways of seafarers – maritime workers delivering 90% of international trade who largely come from the Global South regions of Asia. His work specifically delves into the technoeconomic, infrastructural, legal, geographical, social, and environmental conditions and ramifications of container shipping in the postwar era.

Prof. Wu speaks more than six languages and as a first-generation and international graduate student in the U.S. and now an engaged scholar for sustainable and socially-just future, he has been crossing boundaries and bridging academia, policy, and society. He is a former Science Communication and Marine Policy Specialist at the federal government, and is currently an interdisciplinary post-PhD researcher examining the human dimensions and socio-environmental, international politics and dynamics of what is known as “the 4th Propulsion Revolution.”

Prof. Wu’s classes are dynamic, multimodal, and student-oriented. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of power, the historical and social contexts of various cultural phenomena, as well as the diversity and complexity of humanity. His classes cover a variety of topics and themes, address current affairs and social issues, and enhance students’ analytical and critical thinking and writing, holistic and in-depth case study, and overall collaboration, communication skills.

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