Isaac Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, UBC Okanagan, Kelowna, Canada. He received his undergraduate degree with honours in Engineering Science and Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Toronto. Dr. Li's graduate research provided the first single-molecule measurement of hydrophobic interaction that aids in better modelling of biomolecule structure and function. He then moved on to a postdoc position at the Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign with an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship. During his postdoctoral research, Dr. Li developed new approaches to visualize molecular force during cell adhesion. This has enabled new research directions in mechanobiology and laid the foundation for my independent research.
Dr. Li is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Single-Molecule Biophysics and Mechanobiology, as well as a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. Since starting at UBC, his group has developed new molecular assays to record, visualize, and quantify ultra-fast molecular adhesion events with super-resolution imaging. Complementary to these experimental works, the group also developed theoretical frameworks to interpret the molecular forces from experimental measurements. His lab is focusing on the development of DNA-based molecular probes to monitor and control cell migration and mechanical communication underpinning disease processes such as tumour metastasis, migration, and re-establishment.
