Li has a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering.

Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2009
M.S.E., Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2008
M.S.E., Civil Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2003
B.S.E., Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, 2001

Li’s research focuses on unconventional infrastructure materials and their interfaces with structural engineering, damage sensing and advanced manufacturing, with the goal of improving infrastructure service life, safety and resilience. Her research lab seeks to enable the next generation of infrastructure material technologies by focusing on three important dimensions: (a) developing and manufacturing new materials with advanced properties and novel functionalities, (b) understanding material behavior and the underlying physical and chemical mechanisms under various mechanical and environmental conditions, and (c) establishing the linkage from material behavior to structural performance and to the environment at large scale.

Her research topics include infrastructure materials with intrinsic and repeatable self-healing capacity, multifunctional materials and novel methods for spatial damage self-sensing and visualization in concrete infrastructure, ultra high-ductility and high-strength cementitious materials for resilient structures, chemistry and fracture mechanics of geopolymer and cementitious materials, radioactive waste immobilization, low-density and damage-tolerant materials, concrete additive manufacturing and quality control, and 3D printing concrete for highly loaded structures. 

Research Interests: Unconventional infrastructure materials and their interfaces with structural engineering, advanced manufacturing, spatial damage sensing, and the environment.