About Me

Jason Li

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard

 

E-mail:   jasonsli@mit.edu

Bio

I am a biomedical engineer and formulation scientist focused on developing autonomous hormone prosthetics by integrating physiological, clinical, and user insights with advanced therapeutic formulations, drug delivery devices, and continuous sensing modalities. 

I obtained my B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University specializing in robotics. I subsequently obtained my M.Eng. training with Prof. Yu Sun and Prof. Lidan You at the University of Toronto where I designed micro/nano-electronic biosensors, developed micro-robotic fabrication processes, and investigated cell-signaling dynamics in bone cells.  My work at the intersection of bioelectronics and cell biology inspired an interest in developing translational technologies to improve human health, which motivated me to broaden my technical expertise by pursuing a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Science.

At the University of Toronto, I trained with Prof. Xiao Yu Wu as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Doctoral Scholar. For my thesis, I developed design principles for bio-functional polymers that enable spatial and temporal control of drug delivery, including polymer-lipid nanoparticles capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and glucose-responsive implants for closed-loop insulin therapy. My work was recognized by several honors, including the Controlled Release Society (CRS) Outstanding Pharmaceutical Paper Award and the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) Graduate Student Research Award. I subsequently trained as a NSERC postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Giovanni Traverso and Prof. Robert Langer at MIT, where I developed long-acting drug delivery platforms for the chronic management of metabolic diseases.

Selected Awards

NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2017 – 2019)

 

Outstanding Pharmaceutical Paper Award

Controlled Release Society (2015)

 

Canada Graduate Student Research Award

Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (2015)

 

Canadian Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2012 – 2015)

 

Ontario Graduate Scholarship

Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Government of Ontario, Canada (2011)

Contact

E-mail:  jasonsli@mit.edu