Vivian Liu is a research assistant in the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute. Their research focuses on real estate development, guaranteed income, ethnic enclaves, and strategies to address displacement.

Before joining Urban, Liu worked in corporate sustainability. They also worked on several local initiatives, where they spoke to immigrant Asian, Latino, and Black small businesses about rent conditions along Buford Highway in Atlanta, Georgia, and low-income residents about real estate developments that could address community needs in Queens, New York. Their findings have been presented to city governments and developers.

Liu holds a BS in environmental science and quantitative science from Emory University. They were a Community Building and Social Change fellow and Udall scholar.