"Tristan" Qingyun Li obtained his B.S in Biological Sciences from China Agricultural University. He then moved to Durham, North Carolina for graduate school in 2008, and obtained his PhD degree in Biology from Duke University in 2015. During his PhD, Dr. Li used the fly olfactory system as a model to study the molecular mechanisms that generate neuronal diversity. After graduation, he started his postdoctoral training with Dr. Ben Barres at Stanford University and expanded his research interest to non-neuronal, i.e. glial cells in the mammalian central nervous system. In the Barres lab, Dr. Li’s research focuses on one type of glial cells, “microglia”, which are the major immune cells in the brain and spinal cord, trying to understand microglial development and function. At Stanford, Dr. Li is also mentored by Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray in areas of aging and neurodegeneration. In January 2020, Dr. Li will start his own laboratory as an assistant professor in the Departments of Neuroscience and Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis.
Centered around microglia, with all other neural and peripheral immune cells considered, Dr. Li’s research spans a wide range of topics, from developmental mechanisms to disease pathology, intersecting disciplines of neurobiology, immunology, hematopoiesis among others. His research takes advantage of the powerful single cell genomics technology, and uses molecular, biochemical, genetic as well as computational approaches to address the overarching question: what do microglia do in development, aging and disease?
