2007 - 2011 B.S., Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

2011 - 2016 PhD, Peking Union Medical college/Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

2016 - 2018 Postdoctoral Researcher, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China

2018 - 2021 Postdoctoral Associate, Cold Spring Harbor Lab, NY, USA

2021 - 2026 Senior Research Associate, Duke University, NC, USA

2026 - Present Principal Investigator, Institute of Biophysics, Beijing, China

Our work centers on brain-body information communication and functional restoration. Using high-speed motion capture, large-scale neural recording, sensory feedback control, population dynamics modeling, and online decoding, we seek to understand the neural mechanisms underlying sensory-motor integration for dexterous movement. Ultimately, we strive to apply these insights to develop restorative interventions/interfaces after neural impairment.

RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

1. Li Y, An X, Mulcahey PJ, Qian Y, Xu XH, Zhao S, Mohan H, Suryanarayana SM, Bachschmid-Romano L, Brunel N, Whishaw IQ, Huang ZJ (2026) Corticothalamic Communication for Action Coordination in a Skilled Motor Behavior. Nat. Neurosci. 29: 660-672. DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02195-8

2. An X, Li Y, Matho K, Mohan H, Xu X H, Boato F, Whishaw IQ, Huang ZJ (2026). A Cortical Circuit for Orchestrating Oromanual Food Manipulation. Neuron 114, 2254-2271 e9. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2026.02.010

3. Li Y, Liu Z, Guo Q, Luo M (2019) Long-Term Fiber Photometry for Neuroscience Studies. Neurosci. Bull. 35, 425-433. DOI: 10.1007/s12264-019-00379-4

4. Li Y^#, Zeng J^#, Zhang J, Yue C, Feng Q, Zhong W, Liu Z, Luo M (2018). Hypothalamic Circuits for Predation and Evasion. Neuron 97: 911-924 e915. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.005 [^#equal contribution, cover, selected as Best of Neuron 2018 collection]

5. Lin R, Li Y, Luo M (2018). A Neural Circuit Driving Maternal Behaviors. Neuron 98, 6-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.03.025

6. Zhong W^#, Li Y^#, Feng Q, and Luo M (2017). Learning and Stress Shape the Reward Response Patterns of Serotonin Neurons. Journal of Neurosci. 37, 8863-8875. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1181-17.2017 [*equal contribution]

7. Li Y, Zhong W, Wang D, Feng Q, Liu Z, Zhou J, Jia C, Hu F, Zeng J, Guo Q, Fu L, Luo M (2016). Serotonin Neurons in The Dorsal Raphe Nucleus Encode Reward Signals. Nat. Commun. 7, 10503. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10503

8. Wang D, Li Y, Feng Q, Guo Q, Zhou J, Luo M (2017). Learning Shapes the Aversion and Reward Responses of Lateral Habenula Neurons. eLife 6. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.23045

9. Luo M, Li Y, and Zhong W (2016). Do dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons encode "beneficialness"? Neurobiol. Learn. and Mem. 135, 40-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.08.008

10. Liu Z^#, Zhou J^#, Li Y, Hu F, Lu Y, Ma M, Feng Q, Zhang J, Wang D, Zeng J, Luo M (2014). Dorsal Raphe Neurons Signal Reward Through 5-HT and Glutamate. Neuron 81, 1360-1374. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.02.010 [^#equal contribution]

RESEARCH REPOSITORIES

● Neural Dynamics Data Under Proprioceptive Distortion (2025) - Zenodo:

https://zenodo.org/records/17360954

● Code for OptoFP (2026) - GitHub:

https://github.com/liyistart/OptoFP_Imaging

● Behavior and Neuron Data during Reach to Consume (2025) - Duke:

https://doi.org/10.7924/r49k4mj1b

● Code for Reach-to-Consume Task (2025) - GitHub:

https://github.com/liyistart/PyN_Reach_to_Consume_Code

● Motor Cortex on Thalamic Spiking Dynamics (2025) - Figshare:

https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.27849483

● MultiCond App (2025) - GitHub:

https://github.com/liyistart/MultiCond

● Hand and Oral Movement Tracking Models (2023) - Zenodo:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10041296

● Bonsai Workflow for Video Recording (2023) - Zenodo:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10041374

● DRN Serotonin Neuron Data (2024) - Zenodo:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13218589

(From Yi Li, August 20, 2026)