Laboratory Introduction

Dr. Kai Li obtained his Ph.D. from the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, then he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow / Associate Research Specialist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). He is currently an investigator at Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing (CIMR). The Li lab primarily utilizes cutting-edge tools such as electrophysiology, cell biology, and chemical biology to study organellar physiology and homeostasis, aiming to reveal their implications in pathogenesis of human diseases, such as neurodegeneration, tissue damage and metabolic disorders organelle physiological homeostasis. He has published as first author or co-first author papers in Nature Cell Biology, Trends in Cell Biology, Molecular Cell, Nature Communications, and Journal of General Physiology. He received many awards including the Tsung-Dao Lee Award, the Ray Wu Prize, and the Human Frontier Science Program Long-Term Fellowship, etc.

A. Major Research Projects

The Li lab will use a combination of cutting-edge tools such as electrophysiology, proteomics and chemical biology to study the following topics,

a. The mechanism and function of lysosomal mechanosensation and osmosensation.

b. The roles of organellar ion channels in neurodegeneration, tissue damage and metabolic disorders.

c. Development of organelle-based therapeutics for human diseases.

B. Representative Publications & Major Contributions

a. Identification of mechanosensitive ion channels in lysosomes (Nature Cell Biology, 2024，PMID: 38388853; Trends in Cell Biology, 2025, PMID: 39828483).

b. Identification of a novel lysosomal chloride channel and elucidate its roles in neurodegeneration (Neuron, under revision).

c. Revealing the molecular mechanisms of channel assembly in the ER (Molecular Cell, 2017, PMID: 27916661; Journal of General Physiology, 2018, PMID: 29941431).

d. Screening chemical compounds for correcting ion channel dysfunctions (Nature Communications, 2018, PMID: 30258187).

Open position

Postdoctoral Researcher

Main Responsibilities

a. Conducting research projects independently.

b. Assisting PI to mentor graduate students, write grant proposals and manuscripts.

Qualifications

a. Backgrounds in biology or biomedical fields. Either about to obtain a Ph.D. or recently obtained a Ph.D. degree (ideally within the last 2 years).

b. Published or about to publish research papers as the first author in reputable journals in the field.

c. Research experience in electrophysiology, protein purification, genomic screening, or mouse disease models is appreciated and favored.

d. Self-motivated and be capable of independently conducting scientific research and assisting to supervise graduate students.

e. Proficient in English reading, writing, and daily communication. Capable of writing papers in English.

Welfare Treatment

How to apply

Contact address: No.10 Xitoutiao, Youanmenwai, Fengtai District, Beijing

This recruitment is valid for the long term until a suitable candidate is recruited.