Pi-Ju (Marian) Liu, PhD

Associate Professor at Purdue University

I conduct applied research around elder justice issues and teach undergraduate and graduate courses.

My CV

Research

Elder justice is my research focus, covering topics on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Identifying risk and protective factors of potential elder financial exploitation victims constituted my dissertation, and I have been investigating victim and abuser risk/strength of other types of abuse. I also work with Adult Protective Services (APS) at the national, state (California, Montana, Utah, Indiana), and county level (San Francisco, Napa) to measure effective service and outcomes using the Identification, Services, and Outcomes Matrix, improve statewide data collection, and advocate for additional training for APS workforce. My ultimate goal conducting elder justice research is to empower older adults to live in a world with social justice. Past and recent publications can be found following the link.

Read More
research-image
teaching-image

Teaching

Influenced by my grandfather who was a high school teacher, I always wanted to be a teacher since childhood. I taught English in Taiwan, and became a statistics teaching assistant in graduate school. Soon after receiving my master’s degree, I began my teaching career in universities. I have taught classes from psychology to nursing, and from statistics to research methods. Moreover, I have advised undergraduate and graduate students’ research projects, which lead to their theses, conference posters, and academic publications. Fostering students’ talents and witnessing students’ growth make me a proud teacher. Sample syllabi can be found following the link.

Read More

More About Me

I was born and raised in Taiwan. Though a literature major in college, the Intro Psych class I took in my sophomore year ignited my interests in psychology. My passion to work with older adults was sparked by the volunteer experience in an elderly day care center in Taiwan, where I soon decided to pursue a career in developmental psychology, focusing on the later years in life. I chose to attend Claremont Graduate University to grow my understanding in elder justice further.

I was a researcher at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for three years, then I moved to be an Assistant Professor at Purdue University’s School of Nursing. I am also a faculty associate at Purdue’s Center on Aging and the Life Course. At the National Adult Protective Services Association, I serve on the board and co-chaired its Research to Practice Interest Group from 2017-2023. I am also a 2023-2024 Health and Aging Policy Fellow.

Read More
about