Dr Liu is a renowned research geologist and gemmologist who has long been engaging in the study of gem & mineral physics and mineral materials. He is a frequent speaker at gemmological conferences worldwide and has published numerous articles in many major journals on gems using new analytical testing methods. In 2002, Dr Liu was awarded the First Prize for Excellence in Science and Technology by the Chengdu Academy of Social Science.

Dr Liu is a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain and has been teaching gemmology for more than thirty years. He was a project specialist and convener of technical board of the "(Hong Kong) Fei Cui Testing Methods and Laboratory Management System Development Project". Currently, he is a member of the Fei Cui working group of CIBJO, a Director of the Asia-Pacific Gemstone and Technology Standardisation Alliance (AGA), a Chinese delegate to the International Gemmological Conference (IGC), a Scientific Committee member of the Dr. Eduard Gübelin Association (Lucerne, Switzerland) for Research & Identification of Precious Stones, an Associate Professor of Guangzhou Xinhua University (former Xinhua College of Sun Yat-sen University) and a member of the Hong Kong Accreditation Service Task Force on Gemstone Testing.