Dr. Lian Li
Dr. Lian Li is Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Emory University School of Medicine and Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Fellow. Dr. Li’s research focuses on neuronal signaling mechanisms, neurodegenerative disease pathways, and therapeutic target discovery. She leads a laboratory in discovering and studying molecular mechanisms that control brain function in health and neurodegenerative diseases by using a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary approach that combines proteomics, glycoproteomics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular genetics, network biology, and animal model studies with translational research in human patient specimens. Dr. Li and her team have identified and characterized many novel regulators of neuronal signaling and protein trafficking, and their works have provided valuable insights into the fundamental mechanisms controlling synaptic vesicle exocytosis, endosome-to-lysosome trafficking, mitochondrial dynamics, and cell signaling mediated by post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination, phosphorylation, and glycosylation. Furthermore, her group has uncovered a number of new molecular pathways linking dysregulated trafficking and signaling to the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease, and peripheral neuropathy. Current research projects in the Li laboratory are aimed at discovery of new molecular targets and networks for therapeutic intervention to combat Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders.
Dr. Li received her Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from University of California at Davis, where she worked with Dr. Mark McNamee studying the structure-function relationship and regulation of acetylcholine receptors. She did her postdoctoral training in Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences with Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Greengard at the Rockefeller University, studying the molecular mechanisms of synaptic vesicle exocytosis and neurotransmitter release. Prior to joining the faculty at Emory University in 2001, Dr. Li was a faculty member in University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leading a molecular neuropharmacology laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology.
Dr. Li has a track record of promoting diversity and inclusion in academia at both institutional and national levels. She has trained and mentored numerous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior scientists, many of them are women and from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Her trainees have gone on to have successful academic and research careers, making impactful contributions to the society.