Previous experiences:

Dan L Duncan Chair Professor: 07/2018 – 2019
Professor (tenured): 08/2016 – present
Associate Professor (tenured): 10/2011 – 07/2016
Assistant Professor (tenure track): 11/2007 – 09/2011
Division of Biostatistics, Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
Baylor College of Medicine.

Postdoctoral Fellow: 06/2004 – 10/2007
Department of Biostatistics & Computational Biology
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston
Advisor: Prof. Xiaole Shirley Liu

Bioinformatics Group Leader: 01/2000 – 05/2004
Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI)
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Ph.D. in Bioinformatics: 09/1998 – 09/2003
Institute of Biophysics
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Advisor: Prof. Runsheng Chen

Dr. Wei Li is the Grace B. Bell Endowed Chair and Professor of Bioinformatics in the Division of Computational Biomedicine and the Department of Biological Chemistry in the UCI School of Medicine. His research bridges computational biology, epigenetics, RNA regulation, liquid biopsy, and human genetics, focusing on transforming genomics data into actionable medical insights.  He has developed a series of widely used bioinformatics algorithms to harness the full power of population-scale genomics data. Research from his lab has led to exciting discoveries of novel epigenetic mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets for various human diseases, including cancers, neurological disorders, and metabolic conditions. Dr. Li has published over 200 peer-reviewed studies, including ~35 senior-author papers in high-impact journals such as the Nature, Cell, and Science series. Most of them have been widely recognized, with an overall H-index of 98 and total citations of over 75,000. Furthermore, as a testament to his mentorship and leadership, 11 of his former trainees have launched successful independent faculty careers at prestigious research institutions, including Harvard Medical School and Fred Hutch Cancer Center. 

Awards:
* Inaugural UCI School of Medicine Outstanding Mid-Career Faculty Research Award (2022): The most prestigious honor given annually to recognize research excellence and outstanding academic achievement. The awardee name will be added to an enduring plaque on display in the UCI School of Medicine.

* Michael E. DeBakey Excellence in Research Award (2016): the most prestigious honor given annually to 5 out of ~3,500 Baylor faculty who have made the most significant published scientific contribution to clinical or basic biomedical research in the past three years.