Search UT

Education

2005 National Central University (Taiwan), B.S.
2011 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

General Physics I
General Physics I Laboratory

Career Specialties

Amy Lien's research interest focuses on understanding how the universe begins and evolves through the most energetic astrophysical explosions: gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and merging neutron stars and black holes.

Professional and Community Activities

Lien's main research utilizes gamma-ray bursts detected by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a multi-wavelength space telescope dedicated to studying gamma-ray bursts and the transient sky. Gamma-ray bursts are seen from within our neighborhood of galaxies to the early universe when the first stars were expected to form. She uses GRBs to explore the history of the universe, and study how nature can form these energetic bursts from either the collapse of massive stars, or merging of compact objects like neutron stars and black holes (e.g., Lien et al. 2014, Lien et al. 2016, Klingler & Lien et al. 2021).

Lien collaborates with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and participate in proposing future high-energy space telescopes, including AMEGO-X and the Gamow Explorer (e.g. Racusin & Lien et al., 2017, White et al. 2021).

In addition, she works with student interns and citizen scientists on research projects related to understand the physical origins of gamma-ray bursts.

Honors and Awards

NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship
NASA Special Act Awards (2014 and 2016) as a Swift team member
NASA Special Act Award (2018) as a TAO team member