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Feng Liu, PhD, a research professor in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and UNC Lineberger member, died tragically Thursday, July 24, after being assaulted and robbed while walking in a neighborhood near campus. Liu was a dedicated colleague, educator and researcher focused on gene and drug delivery.

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A memorial service was held Saturday, August 2, at 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall on the UNC campus.

“Dr. Liu will be remembered as a dedicated colleague, educator and researcher who was passionate about Carolina,” UNC Chancellor Carol Folt says. “He truly embodied everything that makes our University great. I know Dr. Liu leaves behind a loving family, which makes his loss all the more painful.”

Liu came to UNC in 2005 from the University of Pittsburgh as a research associate professor and was promoted in 2012. His research interests focused on gene and drug delivery in the treatment of cancer. He was the author of more than sixty peer-reviewed papers and was known for developing a hydrodynamic technique for transfection in animals. The paper describing his breakthrough has been cited nearly one thousand times since 1999.

Liu received his BS and MS in pharmaceutics science at Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, China, and PhD at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy.

Memorial Gifts

In honor of Liu, the School has established a fund to create an annual award recognizing exemplary graduate students in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics. The Liu family asks that anyone wishing to make a gift in remembrance of Liu direct their gift to the fund. Checks may be mailed to:

The Feng Liu Graduate Student Award Fund
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Foundation
194 Finley Golf Course Road, Suite 106
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Cards, flowers, and condolences for Liu’s family can be sent to

The Liu Family
c/o UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
CB#7355
301 Pharmacy Lane Suite 100
Chapel Hill NC 27599-7355