Jiayi Liu is a PhD student in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. His research explores the development and relationship between Seapower, maritime culture, and imperial identity in the Austrian Habsburg Empire from the early eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. His doctoral project re-examines the formation of the Austrian Navy from a cultural perspective, with particular attention to the role played by Adriatic societies, urban spaces, and cultural networks in shaping the maritime culture, strategy, and identity of a multi-ethnic empire. His work combines naval history, cultural history, and international history, with a particular focus on Seapower, multi-ethnic empires, and political culture.

Alongside his doctoral research, Jiayi teaches in the Department of War Studies as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. He holds a master’s degree from King's College London and a bachelor’s degree from University of Glasgow.

His wider research interests include the governance of multi-ethnic empires, strategic culture, and Central and Eastern European studies. He is also interested in comparative studies of empire and Seapower, particularly in relation to Britain, Austria, and the Adriatic world.

Research Interests

Maritime history and naval history

Sea power and strategic culture

The Habsburg Empire and multi-ethnic empires

Austrian naval history and Adriatic studies