Educational Background

PhD, Virginia Tech, 2013-2017
MPhil, The Chinese University of Hong Kong​, 2010-2012
BS, Nanjing Agricultural University, 2006-2010

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, Florida Institute of Technology, 2023-Present

Graduate Faculty, Florida Institute of Technology, 2023-Present

Postdoctoral Associate, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 2017-2023

Current Courses

Virology (BIO4100 / BIO5573)

Immunology (BIO4201 / BIO5573)

Microbial Biotechnology (BIO5539 / BIO4150)

Experimental Design and Practice (BIO4100 / BIO5573)

Biological Research (BIO5995)

Biology Forum (BIO4990)

Undergraduate Research (BIO4991-4)

Selected Publications

• Butcher C and Li J (2026) Dynamic Cellular Regulation of Proteasome Translocation and Phase Transition. Biology 15(15): p. 1253.
• Li J, Butcher C, VanderVen K, Fitz-Enz M, and Hochstrasser M (2025) AMPK alters proteasome phosphorylation status and prevents persistent proteasome condensates. Genetics iyaf179.
• VanderVen K, Butcher C, Fokine R, Li J (2025) Pep12 is important for proteasome microautophagy under low glucose conditions. MicroPubl Biol 001579.
• Butcher C, VanderVen K, Li J (2025) Proteasome condensates repeatedly “contact and release” at the nuclear periphery during dissolution. MicroPubl Biol 001553.
• Sultana S, Abdullah M, Li J, Hochstrasser M, Kachroo AH (2023) Species-specific protein-protein interactions govern the humanization of the 20S proteasome in yeast. Genetics iyad117.
• Li J, Hochstrasser M (2022) Selective microautophagy of proteasomes is initiated by ESCRT-0 and is promoted by proteasome ubiquitylation. J Cell Sci 135: jcs259393 (Featured in First Person interviews).
• Ryu H-Y, Zhao D, Li J, Su D, Hochstrasser M (2020) Histone sumoylation promotes Set3 histone-deacetylase complex- mediated transcriptional regulation. Nucleic Acids Res 48: 12151-12168.
• Li J, Hochstrasser M (2020) Microautophagy regulates proteasome homeostasis. Curr Genet 66: 683-687.
• Li J, Breker M, Graham M, Schuldiner M, Hochstrasser M (2019) AMPK regulates ESCRT-dependent microautophagy of proteasomes concomitant with proteasome storage granule assembly during glucose starvation. PLoS Genet 15: e1008387 (Featured in Perspective articles).
• Liu H*, Soyars C*, Li J*, Fei Q, He G, Peterson BA, Meyers BC, Nimchuk ZL and Wang X (2018) CRISPR/Cas9- mediated resistance to cauliflower mosaic virus. Plant Direct 2: e00047 (*co-first author).
• Li J, Fuchs S, Zhang J, Wellford S, Schuldiner M, and Wang X (2016) An unrecognized function for COPII components in recruiting the viral replication protein BMV 1a to the perinuclear ER. J Cell Sci 129: 3597-3608.​
• Zhang J, Zhang Z, Chukkapalli V, Nchoutmboube JA, Li J, Randall G, Belov GA, and Wang X (2016) Positive-strand RNA viruses stimulate host phosphatidylcholine synthesis at viral replication sites. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113: E1064-E1073.
• ​Yang X, Li J, Chen L, Louzada E, He J, and Yu W (2015) Stable mitotic inheritance of rice minichromosomes in cell suspension cultures. Plant Cell Rep 34: 929-941.
• Zhang J, Li J, Garcia-Ruiz H, Bates PD, Mirkov TE, and Wang X (2014) A stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase, NbSACPD-C, is critical for ovule development in Nicotiana benthamiana. Plant J 80: 489-502.

Recognition & Awards

• ​Casey DeSantis Florida Cancer Innovation Award, Florida Department of Health, 2026
• Scholarship Excellence Award, PPWS, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, 2017
• Reginald and Phyllis Nelson Scholarship, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, 2016