The Purdue School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering (SEE) trains students to “tackle problems from an integrated perspective, addressing both environmental issues and ecological interactions.” SEE PhD candidate Yiming Liu is applying this comprehensive approach to enhancing environmental understanding in his new role as a board member of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) Student Chapter.

As a member of the (ISIE) Student Chapter Board, Yiming helps represent graduate students and early-career researchers within the global industrial ecology community. ISIE is an international professional organization that promotes industrial ecology as an approach to addressing sustainability challenges and advancing circular economy thinking.

“Within ISIE, the Student Chapter focuses on supporting and connecting students. Board members collaborate with students from different regions around the world,” said Yiming.

Yiming values the ISIE Student Chapter Board’s strong sense of community and inclusiveness.

“The board brings together students from diverse academic backgrounds, geographic regions, and career stages, all with a shared interest in systems thinking and sustainability. I also appreciate how student voices are meaningfully represented within ISIE, allowing early-career researchers to directly shape activities, priorities, and discussions within society.”

Yiming’s goal in this new role as a board member is to help create more opportunities for academic and career-related communication among students. In his experience, he has found conversations with peers and being able to learn from their experiences were extremely helpful in understanding the broader research landscape and how different career paths work in practice. He wants to help foster this supportive climate for students facing uncertainty about research topic selection and long-term career planning.

This new role complements Yiming’s current PhD research, which focuses on applying industrial ecology methods to real-world environmental decision-making. Yiming said that the support he has received from SEE and the uSMART lab at Purdue has played a big role in preparing him to contribute at the international level.

“Serving on the board allows me to engage with a wide range of perspectives and applications of these methods. Interactions through ISIE often spark new ideas, help me better understand how research translates into practice, and reinforce the broader relevance of my work.”

Yiming encourages other SEE students to view extracurricular roles not as distractions, but as opportunities for growth and connection.

“Before me, many faculties and students from the SEE have served as representatives in the ISIE or similar communities, which reflects a strong tradition of engagement within our school. Getting involved in professional societies can help build networks, develop leadership and communication skills, and broaden one’s perspective on the field. My advice is to start with activities that genuinely interest you, choose roles with a reasonable time commitment, and view these experiences as part of your professional development rather than separate from your research.”

For more information about Purdue’s School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering, please visit: https://engineering.purdue.edu/SEE.