lɪˈɑːɾə əbtˈeɪnd hɪz pˌiːˈeɪtʃ dˈiː dᵻɡɹˈiː æt sˈɪɾi jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv nˈuː jˈɔːɹk ænd kˈæɹid ˈaʊt pˈoʊstdəktɚɹəl ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ æɾ oʊhˈaɪoʊ stˈeɪt jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi, ˈæftɚ wˌɪtʃ hiː dʒˈɔɪnd ðɪ ˈɛmɚɹi fˈækəlti ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɪks.
Liotta obtained his PhD degree at City University of New York and carried out postdoctoral research at Ohio State University, after which he joined the Emory faculty in 1976.