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Vivian Li obtained her PhD from the University of Hong Kong in 2008, where she researched the molecular mechanisms of human colonic development and tumorigenesis, earning the Gold Medal Prize for her thesis. After completing her PhD, she was awarded the Croucher Foundation Fellowship to pursue post-doctoral research training at the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands. During her postdoctoral studies, Li focused on the Wnt signaling pathway and proteomics, characterizing intestinal stem cell genes using novel transgenic mouse models. Her work contributed to the identification of new Wnt signaling mechanisms at subcellular levels, including receptors and the core destruction complex of transcriptional factors. She became well-versed in reverse mouse genetics and state-of-the-art ex vivo organoid cultures. Vivian established her lab at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, which is now part of the Francis Crick Institute, in February 2013, where she continues her research as a Senior Group Leader and Assistant Research Director in the Stem Cell Cancer Biology Laboratory.
Hubrecht Institute • Netherlands
Conducted research on the Wnt signaling pathway and proteomics.
Francis Crick Institute • London, UK
Leading research in the Stem Cell Cancer Biology Laboratory.
The Francis Crick Institute does not have traditional 'departments' but operates via interdisciplinary research groups. Candidates apply to the 'Crick PhD Programme' and select specific research topics or labs (e.g., Cell Biology, Immunology, Cancer Research) that align with the listed department names. Students register with one of three partner universities: UCL, King's College London, or Imperial College London.