Xiaochun Li, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Professor Endowed Title Eugene McDermott Distinguished Chair in Molecular Genetics; Rita C. and William P. Clements, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research School Medical School Department Molecular Genetics | Biophysics Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics Biography Dr. Li received his B.S. in 2008 from Tsinghua University in China and finished his Ph.D. training in Structural Biology under the mentorship of Dr. Yigong Shi in 2012. His postdoctoral studies as a Life Science Research Foundation Fellow were conducted with Dr. Günter Blobel, 1999 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, at the Rockefeller University. He went on to win the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, the Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medicine Breakout Prize for Junior Investigators. In 2017, he joined the Department of Molecular Genetics under the leadership of Drs. Joseph Goldstein and Michael Brown, 1985 Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine. He has received the Damon Runyon–Rachleff Innovation Award, the American Heart Association Established Investigator Award, as well as support from the NIH and several private foundations. In 2025, he was promoted to Professor and awarded the Eugene McDermott Distinguished Chair in Molecular Genetics. Education Undergraduate Tsinghua University (2008), Chemistry Graduate School Tsinghua University (2012), Life Sciences Research Interest Lipid Metabolism and Signaling Lysosomal Membrane Proteins and Lysosomal Storage Diseases Wnt Signaling Publications Featured Publications TRPML2 in distinct states reveals the activation and modulation principles of the TRPML family. Schmiege P, Jaslan D, Fine M, Sadanandan NP, Hatton A, Elghobashi-Meinhardt N, Grimm C, Li X, Nat Commun 2025 Jun 16 1 5325 Molecular insights into human phosphatidylserine synthase 2 and its regulation of SREBP pathways. Li D, Chen H, Vale G, Elghobashi-Meinhardt N, Hatton A, Rong S, McDonald JG, Li X, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2025 May 122 20 e2501177122 Molecular insights into human phosphatidylserine synthase 1 reveal its inhibition promotes LDL uptake. Long T, Li D, Vale G, Jiang Y, Schmiege P, Yang ZJ, McDonald JG, Li X, Cell 2024 Aug Molecular basis of Wnt biogenesis, secretion, and Wnt7-specific signaling. Qi X, Hu Q, Elghobashi-Meinhardt N, Long T, Chen H, Li X, Cell 2023 Oct Cryo-EM structures of Myomaker reveal a molecular basis for myoblast fusion. Long T, Zhang Y, Donnelly L, Li H, Pien YC, Liu N, Olson EN, Li X, Nat Struct Mol Biol 2023 Sep Structural and functional insights into Spns2-mediated transport of sphingosine-1-phosphate. Chen H, Ahmed S, Zhao H, Elghobashi-Meinhardt N, Dai Y, Kim JH, McDonald JG, Li X, Lee CH, Cell 2023 May Structure and mechanism of human cystine exporter cystinosin. Guo X, Schmiege P, Assafa TE, Wang R, Xu Y, Donnelly L, Fine M, Ni X, Jiang J, Millhauser G, Feng L, Li X, Cell 2022 Sep Mechanisms and inhibition of Porcupine-mediated Wnt acylation. Liu Y, Qi X, Donnelly L, Elghobashi-Meinhardt N, Long T, Zhou RW, Sun Y, Wang B, Li X, Nature 2022 Jul Regulated degradation of HMG CoA reductase requires conformational changes in sterol-sensing domain. Chen H, Qi X, Faulkner RA, Schumacher MM, Donnelly LM, DeBose-Boyd RA, Li X, Nat Commun 2022 Jul 13 1 4273 Cholesterol efflux mechanism revealed by structural analysis of human ABCA1 conformational states Sun Y and Li X Nature Cardiovascular Research 2022 1 238-245 Results 1-10 of 57 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Books Featured Books Expression, Purification, and Structure Determination of Human PTCH1-HH-N Complexes. In Hedgehog Signaling Xiaofeng Qi, Philip Schmiege, Leticia Esparza, Xiaochun Li (Ed.) (2022). New York, NY, Humana A Structural Overview of TRPML1 and the TRPML Family. In Handb Exp Pharmacol Michael Fine and Xiaochun Li (2022). Springer Nature Honors & Awards American Heart Association Established Investigator Award (2023-2028) Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award (2019-2022) Tri-Institutional (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine) Breakout Prize for Junior Investigators (2017) The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Fellow of the Life Sciences Research Foundation (2014-2017) C.H. Li Memorial Scholar Fund Award, Rockefeller University (2013) The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation Award (2023-2025)
