Since joining Purdue just five months ago, Professor Liddell has won awards, furthered research, and impacted students.

One of Liddell’s new research projects was recently awarded $50,000 from Purdue’s Ag-Eng seed grant program. The Ag-Eng Collaborative Initiative provides seed money for promising new research between faculty members from the Colleges of Agriculture and Engineering.

“Setting up a new research program is both fun and exciting. There is something very special about building new collaborations from the ground up and seeing new project ideas take shape,” Liddell says, “Purdue has an effective ecosystem for fostering connections across campus, and Purdue’s Ag-Eng seed grant program is a great example.”

The project, “Optimized Radio Frequency (RF) Processing for Safer & More Sustainable Drying of Dairy Forage,” is co-investigated by Liddell and Deandrae Smith (Purdue Food Science).

“Research challenges lying at the intersections of multiple fields are often the problems that are most overlooked. This new project with Prof. Deandrae Smith will combine research in cattle nutrition, life-cycle environmental sustainability, and manufacturing process development to demonstrate a safer and more sustainable method for drying dairy forage hays,” says Liddell, “We are excited about the potential for this new technology to benefit farms across Indiana while also contributing to the industrial decarbonization transition.”

Catherinne Arlette Mejia Melara is a brand new EEE MS student who will be joining forces with Liddell and Smith on this project.

“I am excited and enthusiastic about collaborating with Prof. Liddell. Her expertise and the project's focus on sustainability create an opportunity for me to contribute to relevant and innovative research,” Catherinne says, “It's not just a project—it's a dedication to a more eco-friendly future that I'm excited to be a part of.”

Dr. Liddell was also recognized this month as one of 10 “Faculty Explorers” by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Technology Transitions for showing promising interest and ideas that promote energy entrepreneurship at Purdue.

From new research to student impact, Heather Liddell is embodying the persistent pursuit.

“I appreciate the warm welcome I received during my first semester as an assistant professor at Purdue. I made the jump back to academia partly for the opportunity to work with students—and I was nothing but impressed during my first semester teaching Purdue Engineers! ME and EEE students are highly motivated and engaged scholars,” says Liddell, “I cannot wait to see more of what these bright and talented students are capable of accomplishing in the future.”