Dr. Li is a Principal Materials Scientist and manages the Nuclear Materials Group in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Division. Her research covers a broad area of nuclear materials science and engineering including physical metallurgy, mechanical property (creep, fatigue, creep-fatigue), microstructural characterization, radiation effects, and corrosion of metallic materials for nuclear fission and fusion energy applications. Her research seeks to understand materials behavior using advanced characterization techniques and modeling tools to predict materials’ long-term performance in extreme environments of irradiation, temperature, stress, and corrosion, and to develop high-performance materials for various energy applications. Of particular interest is to study the dynamics of microstructural evolution and deformation and failure mechanisms in situ using advanced synchrotron X-ray and electron beam techniques.  

Award and Professional Societies

Dr. Li received a 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). She has been a member of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She is a technical reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals (e.g. Acta Materialia, Journal of Nuclear Materials), and has chaired a number of national technical meetings.

Publications

Dr. Li has published over 150 peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, conference proceedings, and technical reports.

Education

M.S. and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL; B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.