I joined Nanjing University as an Assistant Professor since 2026. I received my bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Nanjing University. During my PhD, I visited the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) | Harvard & Smithsonian as a long-term predoctoral fellow. After PhD, I carried out postdoctoral research at the East Asian Observatory (EAO) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

My research makes use of radio telescopes and interferometric arrays (e.g., Planck, JCMT, SMA and ALMA), as well as magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations and polarization radiative transfer modeling. I’m interested in research topics such as interstellar magnetic fields, interstellar turbulence, molecular cloud structures, and the whole process of star formation.

2026.01 - now, Nanjing University (NJU), Assistant Professor (tenure-track)

2023.09 - 2026.01, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), Project Researcher (postdoc)

2021.06 - 2023.09, East Asian Observatory (EAO), EAO Fellow (postdoc)

2018.08 - 2021.05, Center for Astrophysics (CfA) | Harvard & Smithsonian, SAO Pre-doctoral Fellow

2015.09 - 2021.03, Nanjing University, Ph.D. in Astronomy

2011.09 - 2015.06, Nanjing University, B.S. in Astronomy

GitHub personal website：liujunhao-astro.github.io

Office room：337, Astronomy Building

Star Formation: From Molecular Clouds to the Ocean of Stars

This is my core research direction. Stars form in molecular clouds, the densest regions in the diffuse interstellar medium. The famous phrase, "Per aspera ad astra (through hardships to the stars)," appropriately describes these molecular clouds—the cradles of stellar birth. My work is dedicated to exploring the detailed physical processes from molecular clouds to star clusters: collapse, fragmentation, accretion, feedback, disk formation… I also aim to uncover the key factors that regulate macroscopic laws such as the star formation rate, star formation efficiency, and the initial mass function.

Interstellar Magnetic Fields: The Embodiment of Cosmic "Order"

This is my focused research direction. In the complex process of star formation, gravity, magnetic fields, and turbulence are the three core regulating factors. Gravity pulls interstellar gas together, acting as the dominant force that triggers star formation. Magnetic fields, on the other hand, channel the flow of matter, allowing star-forming activities to proceed in an orderly fashion—they play the role of "order." Turbulence randomizes gas motions, making the process more chaotic, representing the force of "chaos." Due to the challenges of polarization observations, magnetic fields remain the least understood but most frontier area in star formation studies. This is also the area I mostly focus on.

Extended Topics

Furthermore, my research extends to the interstellar medium, interstellar turbulence, the formation and evolution of molecular clouds in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, and the driving mechanisms of protostellar jets and outflows.

ADS library (First-author or corresponding-author)

ADS library (all)

Highlight works

- Reveal the origin of massive star cluster seeds

Liu, Junhao et al.: "The dominance of turbulence over magnetism in the formation of massive star cluster seeds", 2026, Nature Astronomy

Press release: Nanjing University, NAOJ+ALMA  

- Review the analysis methods of magnetic fields

Liu, Junhao et al.: "Magnetic field properties in star formation: A review of their analysis methods and interpretation", 2022b, FrASS, 9, 943556

- Multiscale B-density relation in clouds

Liu, Junhao et al.: "Magnetic Fields in Star Formation: A Complete Compilation of All the DCF Estimations", 2022a, ApJ, 925, 30