Min Li got his PhD from Emory University at Atlanta, Georgia in 2002. Under the supervision of Dr. Richard W. Compans, a world renowned virologist and immunologist, Dr. Li studied the regulation of a retrovirus envelope protein induced membrane fusion and the association with lipid rafts. He then moved on to Baylor College of Medicine at Houston, Texas, and started his career in cancer research as an Assistant Professor in 2004. Dr. Li joined the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Medical School in 2010 as the Director of Cancer Research Program.

Dr. Li's research projects focus on pancreatic cancer and brain tumor pathogenesis, translational research, and new therapies (shRNA therapy, small molecule therapy, and nutrition/diet therapy). Due to the difficulty in diagnosing pancreatic adenocarcinoma and glioma, and its high resistance to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for these malignant disease.