Ming Liao is a neuroscientist at a research institute in Annapolis, Maryland. Trained in patch-clamp electrophysiology, he investigates how nerve cells communicate across synapses and how those connections deteriorate in experimental models of dementia. His laboratory focuses on the cellular changes that accompany early synapse loss in progressive neurodegenerative diseases, observing how chemical communication breaks down as brain disorders advance. This research examines membrane activity and signaling between individual neurons. Liao, who lives near the coast with his spouse and a dog, studied biochemistry at Michigan State University before receiving a doctorate in cellular neuroscience from the University of Connecticut.