Texas Tech University

NWI Welcomes New Interim Director

Dr. Daan Liang, Ph.D., P.E., Interim Director, NWI

Texas Tech University recently announced a change in leadership for the university's renowned National Wind Institute. Dr. Daan Liang, Associate Professor in the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering at TTU, will now take the helm of the institute as Interim Director effective September 01. Former NWI Director, Dr. John L. Schroeder, has elected to focus on wind-related research and technology development projects after holding that position for the past 5 years.

Dr. Liang has served previously as the Coordinator of the doctoral program in Wind Science and Engineering since 2013, and as a faculty affiliate with the Institute since 2004. He will continue in his role as a faculty affiliate for TTU's Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation.

Dr. Liang earned his Ph.D. and his Master's degree at the University of Buffalo in New York, and his academic career has focused on the effects of severe wind events, and how they impact a community and the surrounding region. Recent academic publications include the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the American Journal of Economics & Society, Wind and Structures among others.

Dr. Liang is Principal Investigator (PI) and co-PI on research projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, Texas Department of Transportation, and industry partners on windstorm damage assessment, community resiliency to natural disasters, innovation in risk management, and wind energy.

NWI supports a broad array of observational, experimental, and testing facilities, and TTU has had an ongoing wind-related research program since 1970. More than 40 faculty members conduct wind-related research through NWI. They, along with approximately 25 graduate students, provide critical support to pursue innovative research and application. Current projects relate to wind energy, wind hazards, wind science, remote sensing technology and others.