MENTOR TO ISEF GLOBAL FINALISTS · 2025 & 2026View the record ↗

ISEF-LEVEL RESEARCH MENTORSHIP · DIRECTLY WITH DR. LI

Based in Guangzhou, China · Online mentorship worldwide

Build research that can withstand ISEF-level questions.
From interest to evidence.

I guide high school students from an early interest to a focused research question, rigorous evidence, and a project they can genuinely explain and defend. Every decision remains the student's own.

View ISEF Mentorship Record ↓

Direct guidance from Dr. LiISEF judging perspectiveStudent-owned evidence

WHY I MENTOR

2009I boarded a flight to North America alone and began my doctoral journey.

Research taught me how to think when the answer is not obvious.

Years of doctoral and postdoctoral research taught me that science is not simply about following a protocol or obtaining the expected result. It is about asking a meaningful question, working through uncertainty, and changing direction when the evidence demands it.

This is the part of research I now want to pass on. I do not begin by handing a student a polished project title. I help the student turn curiosity into a question they can understand, investigate, and defend as their own.

My goal is not simply to help a student complete a project. It is to help the student begin thinking like an independent researcher.

U.S. PhDUCSF & Stanford Postdoctoral TrainingBased in Guangzhou · Mentoring Worldwide

HOW I MENTOR

Serious research begins with clear judgment—not a preassigned title.

A question the student can own

Broad interests are narrowed into a specific problem with a measurable boundary.

A method that can produce evidence

Variables, controls, replication, feasibility, and safety are considered before experimentation.

A project the student can defend

The student learns to explain the rationale, data, uncertainty, limitations, and next step.

3-MINUTE RESEARCH READINESS CHECK

Where should the student begin?

This private, non-diagnostic check looks at research habits, available time, project stage, and student ownership—not intelligence or admission potential.

7 questionsNo email requiredImmediate guidance

Receive a practical starting-point recommendation.

The result identifies the student's current stage, visible strengths, likely gaps, and four appropriate next steps.

Foundation Explorer
Project Design Ready
Independent Research Ready

Responses stay in this browser and are not submitted or stored.

SELECTED OUTCOMES

Research quality that has stood up to external review.

Aggregated, anonymized records through 2026. Student identities and full project details remain private.

REPORTING WINDOW2025–2026
RECORD FORMATAggregated results
STUDENT PRIVACYAnonymous cases
IMPORTANT CONTEXTNo outcome guarantee

ISEF GLOBAL FINALISTS

Finalist projects in 2025 and 2026

One 2026 project received a Special Award. View the anonymized record ↗Event imagery provides context only; mentored students are not identified on this page.

ISEF Semifinalists

2025 × 1 · 2026 × 2. Projects strengthened through scope, controls, evidence, and defense review.

View anonymized record ↗4

State Science Fair Projects

Competition records through 2026, supported by original data and clearly defined claims.

View anonymized record ↗2

Regional First Place

Two projects received first-place recognition at regional science fairs through 2026.

View anonymized record ↗

SELECTED STUDENT OUTCOMES

Recent university admission offers

ADMISSION OFFERUniversity of Pennsylvania

ADMISSION OFFERCornell University

Students mentored by Dr. Li have received these offers. Admission reflects each student's complete academic and personal record; research mentorship does not guarantee an admission outcome. University names are shown only to identify reported admission destinations and do not imply affiliation or endorsement.

No publication, award, competition advancement, or admission result is guaranteed. Dr. Li is not affiliated with or endorsed by Regeneron ISEF or Society for Science.

WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS

Strong outcomes begin with stronger research decisions.

The mentorship focuses on question quality, controls, evidence, interpretation, and the student's ability to defend the work—not on promising a result.

See how I mentor

RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Three connected biomedical research platforms.

Each direction is selected only after feasibility, safety, available resources, and student readiness are reviewed.

BIOMATERIALS

Hydrogels & Regenerative Materials

Research focus: Formulation, gelation, transport, impedance, and structure–property relationships.
Available methods: Formulation matrices, gelation tracking, impedance testing, and comparative characterization.

SENSING

Flexible Biosensors & Digital Health

Research focus: Sensor architecture, calibration, drift, repeatability, and interpretable signals.
Available methods: Device prototyping, signal acquisition, cyclic testing, and data visualization.

MICROENGINEERING

Microfluidics & Organ-on-Chip

Research focus: Channel design, flow stability, interfaces, and staged biological validation.
Available methods: Design, fabrication workflows, bonding, leakage control, and flow testing.

HOW THE WORK DEVELOPS

A clear path from interest to research ownership.

Every stage ends with a concrete decision or deliverable.

ORIENT

Choose a direction

Interests, prior preparation, time, resources, and safety boundaries.

DEFINE

Design the question

Literature gap, hypothesis, variables, controls, and feasibility.

BUILD

Generate evidence

Milestones, original records, repeatability, analysis, and honest interpretation.

DEFEND

Explain the work

Figures, limitations, research narrative, and question-and-answer preparation.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SUPPORT

When the evidence is ready, help the student enter genuine international scientific exchange.

A conference is not an experience to purchase. Submission should depend on originality, evidence quality, topic fit, and the organizer's requirements. The student must understand and present the work.

Conference screening and timeline

Review the organizer, academic scope, submission type, deadlines, fees, and attendance format—and avoid venues that are opaque or poorly matched to the work.

Abstract, poster, or oral presentation

Build every claim from actual data. The student verifies the question, methods, results, and limitations and remains able to explain each choice.

English delivery and live questions

Practice figures, controls, uncertainty, and next steps so the student can respond to technical questions clearly and honestly.

Important: Submission is recommended only when the project and timeline are ready. Acceptance, publication, travel visas, awards, and other outcomes are not guaranteed. Organizers review submissions independently; LiLab is not affiliated with or endorsed by any conference named during planning.

LABORATORY DIRECTIONS & RESOURCES

Real experimental capability, matched to project readiness.

My laboratory platform connects materials, devices, and measurable data. Access depends on project scope, safety, available capacity, and the student's readiness to work independently.

3Research platforms

4Validation stages

1:1Critical review by Dr. Li

Microfluidic research design developed within Dr. Li's laboratory platform

Material→Device→Signal→Evidence

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

Dr. Li

Mentor to ISEF Global Finalists · Scientist · Inventor

I hold a PhD from a U.S. university and completed postdoctoral training at UCSF and Stanford. My work spans biomaterials, regenerative medicine, flexible biosensing, and microfluidics. I am based in Guangzhou, China, and mentor students worldwide.

40+ publications5 invention patentsISEF judging experienceFinalist mentorship

Students I have mentored have also received admission offers from Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. Admission reflects a student's complete record; no single research experience determines an outcome.

Personal scientific review

I review the decisions that determine whether a project is coherent, feasible, and defensible.

Student-owned work

I require students to keep original records and explain every figure, choice, and limitation.

Clear academic boundaries

I give rigorous, candid guidance without promising publications, awards, advancement, or admission outcomes.

Professional collaboration

I welcome referrals from counselors and educational advisors seeking credible biomedical research guidance for a student.

WAYS TO WORK WITH DR. LI

Start at the student's actual stage.

Scope is confirmed only after the student's background, current work, and available resources are reviewed.

EXISTING COMPETITION PROJECT

Competition Project Diagnostic

For a competition topic, proposal, data set, abstract, or poster that needs evaluator-style review.

Originality and event fit
Controls and methods
Evidence chain
Defense risks

SELECTIVE

Advanced Research Mentorship

For students ready for sustained experimentation and deeper validation.

Milestone research
Data review
Scientific writing
Defense preparation

View Research Pathways ↗

DEFINED TARGET EVENT

Competition-Focused Coaching

For students with a target science fair or research competition who need a rules-aware plan from the current stage to submission and defense.

Rules and deadline review
Project milestone planning
Abstract, poster, and presentation
Mock judging and questions

Competition integrity and outcomes. Guidance follows the applicable event rules and keeps the research student-owned. Competition eligibility, advancement, judging decisions, awards, publication, and admission outcomes are not guaranteed.

RESEARCH GUIDES

Answers for families beginning a serious research search.

Use these guides to evaluate readiness, project direction, and the level of scientific support a student may need.

FOR PARENTS

How Should Parents Evaluate a Research Mentorship?

A practical checklist for mentor access, student ownership, safety, deliverables, and responsible claims.

Read the guide ↗ISEF & SCIENCE FAIR

When Should a Student Start Preparing?

Plan backward from the affiliated fair, approval requirements, pilot work, and evidence—not from the final poster.

Read the guide ↗BIOELECTRONICS

Can a Beginner Start Bioelectronics Research?

What students can learn from a complete platform before defining and validating an independent device.

Read the guide ↗

BEFORE STARTING

Clear answers to important questions.

01When should a student begin research?+

Grades 9–10 are often ideal for building research judgment. Older students can begin with a focused review if they already have a topic, proposal, data set, abstract, or poster.

02Does every project require a university laboratory?+

No. A strong project begins with a clear question and a feasible method. Materials testing, sensor calibration, imaging, and public data can all support serious work. Biological studies require appropriate facilities, supervision, safety review, and approval.

03Is an ISEF result or publication guaranteed?+

No. Dr. Li provides scientific guidance, milestone review, and candid feedback. Competition, publication, and admission outcomes depend on many factors outside any mentor's control.

04What does the student own?+

The student must understand and defend the research question, method, data, uncertainty, limitations, and next experiment. Mentorship strengthens judgment; it does not replace student work.

05Is this a free mentor-matching or laboratory-placement service?+

No. Dr. Li provides selective, fee-based professional remote research mentorship. Students complete any experimental work locally with appropriate supervision and safety provisions; the program does not sell laboratory access or guarantee outcomes.

BEGIN WITH CONTEXT

Begin with a brief research fit review.

Only grade, email, and primary interest are required. I review every inquiry personally and recommend an appropriate next step.

PROGRAM TUITIONTuition details are discussed during the consultation after Dr. Li reviews the student's goals and project scope.

hl36jnu@163.com

Research mentorship by Dr. Li