Li Deng is the Xu Yiming Endowed Chair Professor, Vice President of Westlake University, and Executive Dean of its School of Science. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in organocatalysis, with a research focus on developing novel catalytic reactions central to synthetic organic chemistry.
He received his B.S. from Tsinghua University, M.S. from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard with Professors George Whitesides and Gregory Verdine before beginning his independent career at Brandeis University, where he was appointed Orrie Friedman Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.
His laboratory has introduced influential concepts in weak bonding organocatalysis and developed widely adopted catalysts, some of which have been licensed by pharmaceutical and chemical companies. He is also an active consultant and advisor to industry and funding agencies.
His awards include the Sloan Research Fellowship, JSPS Fellowship, Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, and others recognizing his innovation and impact on modern catalysis.