Dr. Li received a B.Sc. (Honours) degree from the Department of Chemistry, Jilin University, China in 1983 and studied an M.Sc./Ph.D. in the Institutes of Theoretical Chemistry in the area of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. In 1987, she went to Canada as a Visiting Scientist working in Don Eaton's research group at McMaster University, and transferred to the Ph.D. program in 1988 under the joint supervision of Michael McGlinchey and Donald Eaton. She obtained a Ph.D. (with distinction) in Organometallic Chemistry from McMaster University in 1992. Dr. Li moved to Ottawa in 1993 to take up a Research Associateship in the Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences at the National Research Council of Canada, where she worked in the Molecular Structure and Dynamics, and Electrochemistry groups under the direction of Keith Preston and Dan Wayner. In 1995, she was hired as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at McMaster University. In 1998, Dr. Li moved to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) as Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2001 and full Professor in 2005. Dr. Li's honors and awards include: Distinguished Faculty Scholarly & Creative Achievement Awards (2010), CSULB Alumni Association Class of 2009 Favourite Professor Award (2009), College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Research Excellence Award (2008), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Women's International Science Collaboration Award (2001), Guest Professor of Jilin University (1998-present), International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Travel Award (1998), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Women's Faculty Award (1995-2000), National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship (1993-95), Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1990-92), McMaster University Centennial Scholar (1988-92), Yates Fund Scholar (1992), J. R. Longstaffe Scholarship (1989-1990), Excellent Graduate Student Award (1983-86), and Excellent Undergraduate Student Award (1980-83). As a principal investigator (PI), Dr. Li has received over three million dollars in research funding from the following sources: National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Research Corporation, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Beckman Foundation, Avery Research Centre, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Materials and Manufacturing Ontario (MMO), Human Resources Development of Canada, California State University, and McMaster University. Dr. Li is a Member of the American Chemical Society, the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and elected Member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. She is currently a mentor for the Partners for Success Program, Beckman Scholars Program, NIH-BRIDES Program and NIH-RISE Program.

Bioinorganic chemistry: transition metal nitrosyls and biological-activities of inorganic complexes. Inorganic new materials and organometallics. Industrial catalysts: polymerisation catalysts and transition metal clusters. Application of NMR, EPR, IR, UV-vis, spectroscopies, and electrochemical techniques.

R. Wang, W. Xu, J. Zhang and L Li, "A New Hexanuclear Iron-Selenium Nitrosyl Cluster: Primary Exploration of the Preparation Methods, Structure, Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Properties", Inorg. Chem., 49, 4814-4819 (2010). R. Wang, J. Zhang and L. Li, "A 2D Metal-Organic Framework with a Flexible Cyclohexane-1,2,5,6-tetracarboxylic Acid Ligand: Synthesis, Characterization and Photoluminescent Property" J. Mol. Struc., 970, 14-18 (2010). R. Wang, X. Wang, E. B. Sundberg, P. Nguyen, G. P. G. Grant, C. Sheth, Q. Zhao, S. Herron, K. A. Kantardjieff and L. Li, "Synthesis, Structures, Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Properties of Dinitrosyl Iron Complexes with Bipyridine, Terpyridine, and 1,10-Phenathroline", Inorg. Chem., 48 (20), 9779-9785 (2009). R. Wang, J. Zhang and L. Li, "Conformation Preference of a Flexible Cyclohexanetetracarboxylate Ligand in Three New Metal-Organic Frameworks: Structures, Magnetic and Luminescent Properties", Inorg. Chem., 48 (15), 7194-7200 (2009). X. Song, Z. Wang, Y. Liu, C. Wang and L. Li, "A high sensitive gas sensor for ethanol based on Mesoporous ZnO-SnO2 nanofibres", Nanotechnology, 20, 075501, http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/20/7/075501 (2009). R. Wang, M. A. Camacho-Fernandez, W. Xu, J. Zhang and L. Li, "Neutral and Reduced Roussin's Red salt Ester [Fe2 2(NO)4] (R = n-Pr, t-Bu, 6-methyl-2-pyridyl and 4,6-dimethyl-2-pyrimidyl): Synthesis, X-ray Crystal Structures, Spectroscopic, Electrochemical and Density Functional Theoretical Investigations", Dalton Trans., 777-786 (2009). R. Wang, W. Xu, J. Zhang, and L. Li, "Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of a dinuclear iron nitrosyl complex with 2-mercapto-1-[2-(4-pyridyl)-ethyl]-benzimidazolyl", J. Mol. Struc., 923, 110-113 (2009). X. Li, C. Wang, L. Li, Y. Y. Zhao, H. Y. Wang and Y. Young, "Preparation and Dielectric Property Investigation of Ferrocene/Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) Composite Membranes", J. Nanosci and Nanotech., 9, 704-708 (2008). Y. Y. Zhao, X. Li, C. Wang and L. Li,, "The Effects of Organic Solvent on the Electrospinning of Water-Soluble Polyacrylamide with Ultrahigh Molecular Weight", Journal Solid State Phenomena, 121, 113-116 (2007). X. Li, C. Wang, Y. Li, H. B. Liu and L. Li, "The Effects of CdS Nanorods on the Morphology of ELectrospun Poly(vinyl pyrrolidonr) Products", Journal Solid State Phenomena, 121, 109-112 (2007). N. Guo, Y. Zhao, Y. Zhang, L. Dong, L. Li, and C. Wang, "Roles of TiO2 Nano-Particles in the Formation of Monolithic Silica-Gels via Bulk Sol-Gel Process", R. J. Inorg. Chem., 50(2), 158-164 (2005). R. C. Struthers, D. B. Chang, R. Toossi, S. Ahdout, L. Li, and R. G. Palomba, "Storage device for sorption and desorption of molecular gas contained by storage sites of nano-filament laded reticulated aerogel., United States Patent #6906003. (2005) X. Wang, E. B. Sundberg, L. Li, K. Kantardjieff, S. Herron, M. Lim and P. C. Ford "A Cyclic Tetra-Nuclear Dinitrosyl Iron Complex [Fe(NO)2(Imidazolate)]4: Synthesis and Structure" J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Comm. ,477-479, (2005). S. Wang, X. Wang, L. Li and R. C. Advincula, "Design, Synthesis and Photochemical Behavior of Poly(benzyl ester) Dendrimers with Azobenzene Groups Throughout Their Architecture", J. Org. Chem., 69, 9073-9084 (2004). L. Li, E. B. Sudberg and X. Wang "Synthesis, Structures and Spectroscopic Studies of non-heme Iron Nitrosyl Complexes", J. Inorg. Biochem. 96, 179 (2003). X. Wang, S. Wang, L. Li, A. E. B. Sundberg and G. P. Gacho "Synthesis, Structure and Catalytic Activity of Mononuclear Iron and -oxo Diiron Complexes with Ligand 2,6-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine". Inorg. Chem., 42, 7799-7808 (2003). W. Liu, C. Wang, T. Shi, W. Zhang and L. Li "Synthesis and Properties of Liquid Crystal Zinc Porphyrin", Polymer Preprints, 44(2), 877 (2003). L. Li, N. Reginato, M. Urschey, M. Stradiotto and J. Liarakos "The synthesis and Crystallographic Characterization of Linear and Cyclic Dinitrosyl Complexes Containing Bis(phosphine) Bridgeing Ligands", Can. J. Chem., 81, 468-475 (2003). L. Li "Some Coordination Chemistry of Non-heme Iron Nitrosyl Complexes", Comm. Inorg. Chem., 23, 335-353 (2002). G. Zheng, J. D. Liarakos and L. Li "Metalloporphyrin Catalyzed Electrocarboxylation of Alkyl Halides: Elucidate Mechanisms by Electrochemical and in situ IR-spectroelectrochemical Methods”, (Invited review) Recent Res. Devel. Electroanal. Chem., Transworld Research Network, 2, 89-115 (2000). N. Reginato, C. T. C. McCrory, D. Pervitsky and L. Li "Synthesis, X-ray Crystal Structure, and Solution Behavior of Fe(NO)2(1-MeIm)2: Implications for Nitrosyl Non-heme-iron Complexes with g = 2.03", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121, 10217 (1999). Y. H. Huang, Q. Yu, S. Zhu, G. L. Rempel and L. Li "ESR Studies on Oxidation State of Titanocene and Zirconocene Catalysts",J. Polymer Sci.: Part A: Polymer Chem., 37, 1465-1472 (1999). Y. Zhang, S. R. Breeze, S. Wang, J. E. Greedan, N. P. Raju and L. Li "Polynuclear Co(II) and Cu(II) Complexes of Tetraacetylethane: Cu(II)2(dpa)2(tae)(O2CCF3)2, {[Cu(II)2(dpa)2(tae)(4,4'-bipy)](O2CCF3)2}n, and [Co(II)2(dpa)4(tae)](O2CCH3)2(H2O)2, dpa = 2,2'-dipyridylamine, tae = tetraacetylethane dianion" Can. J. Chem., 77, 1424(1999). C. Wang, Y. Zhang, J. Gao, W. Zhang, Y. F. Lu, Y. B. Bai, T. J. Li, L. Li and Y. Wei "Preliminary Study on Oligoaniline/Silica Composite Nana-particles as a High Density Information Storage Materials", Chem. J. Chin Univ., 20, 1491 (1999). A. H?rsken, G. Zheng, and L. Li "Novel Nonlinear Optical Materials Containing Organometallic Transition-metal Nitrosyls: Syntheses, Structures and Dynamics", Proceedings in the 2rd Asian Symposium on Organized Molecular Films for Electronic and Photonics, 20-21 (1998).