Recently, Thomson Reuters published the “Highly Cited Researchers 2016” list. Prof. LIAO Shijun at School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (NAOCE, SJTU) was successfully selected into the list in the field of Mathematics. It is the third time for Prof. LIAO Shijun to be selected into Thomson Reuters “Highly Cited Researchers 2016” list after 2014 (in Engineering and Mathematics field) and 2015(in Mathematics field) selections.

The published “Highly Cited Researchers 2016 ” list covers a total of 3266 scientists in materials, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and other disciplines, among of which are 196 Chinese scientists (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan area)

In 1992, Prof. LIAO Shijun originally put forward the “Homotopy Analysis Method” (HAM) to solve the nonlinear equation and has gradually improved the method for 20 years, which has become a relatively complete theoretical system. HAM fundamentally overcomes the limitations of traditional analytical approximation method and is widely used in strongly nonlinear problems in Science and Engineering, which has opened up a new way for analytical approximate solution of strongly nonlinear. HAM has been widely used by researchers from more than 10 countries, such as China, America, Britain, Canada and India and generally recognized by the international academia. Portuguese scholars Sardanyes pointed out in his paper that the HAM is " a truly significant milestone".

In recent years, Prof.LIAO Shijun research team used the HAM, which had theoretically obtained the unlimited and steady-state resonance wave in effective water depth and proved the existence of “steady-state resonance wave” for the first time. Besides, the team made use of advanced wind flow pool of SJTU “Ocean Engineering State Key Laboratory”, and had observed for the first time the steady-state resonance wave system. The study enriches the theory of wave resonance and has an important theoretical significance on ocean engineering and the relevant results have been published in the famous international journal of fluid mechanics. The discovery of “steady-state resonance wave” fully reflects the novelty and potential of HAM. Because of the originality of HMD, Prof. LIAO Shijun was generally recognized by the international academia and selected into “Highly Cited Researchers 2016” list.

By TIAN Na