Xiaokai Li

Xiaokai Li is a medicinal chemist with extensive experience in designing and executing multi-step organic synthesis and conducting biologic assays. During their time as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Institute for Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery at Stony Brook University, they synthesized over 130 small organic molecules as drug candidates and constructed a library that significantly improved ligand-protein binding affinity. They held a Research Fellow position at the University of Michigan, focusing on synthesizing derivatives to enhance blood-brain barrier permeability and ligand binding. Currently, Xiaokai is a Senior Director at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, continuing their impactful work in discovery chemistry. They earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stony Brook University.