Zeyu (Alban) Li
Ph.D. Candidate | Cornell University | DNA Material Lab
Materials Scientist | Nucleic Acid Scientist | Specializing in DNA Technology & Polymer Engineering
About
I bridge DNA biotechnology and materials science to create manufacturable solutions that scale from lab prototype to production. (Available for full-time roles starting May 2026.)
Key Achievements
Large-Scale Field Deployment
Led an 11 km² field deployment of DNA-barcoded microparticle tracers for a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funded project; achieved qPCR detection 7 km downstream from <1 mg DNA release. First-author paper published on ACS ES&T (Top 5% Journal in Environmental Sciences)
Process Optimization & Cost Reduction
Designed a nucleic acid purification platform, utilizing perfluorocarbon and a modified pod expresso machine, delivering ~200 mg DNA per pod, and reducing purification costs by ~91%.
Functional Materials Engineering
Developed a DNAâAlÂłâş hydrogel composite that is 3D-printable and self-healing for structural repair applications. Co-First author paper published ACADIA 2024 (Premier Conference in Computational Design)
Leadership, Mentoring & Innovation
Co-authored 3 publications and co-invented 2 patents; coordinated collaborations across 7 research groups. Mentored 3 undergraduate researchers and served as Teaching Assistant/Co-instructor for 7 university courses.
Academic & Research Background
Cornell University
Ph.D. | M.S. | M.Eng. | Biological & Environmental Engineering
Hong Kong Baptist University
B.Sc. | Chemistry (Hons) | Computer Science (Minor)
Value & Approach
For Materials Industry
- Cross-Disciplinary "Translator" I translate ambiguous applications into precise material specifications. I bridge technical gaps by synthesizing expertise across life sciences, engineering, and designâa skill honed through leading complex, interdisciplinary initiatives.
- Independent Execution I back up strategy with hands-on executionâa capability grounded in my experience independently navigating the full R&D cycle, from polymer fabrication and characterization to the delivery of validated, real-world prototypes.
For Biotech Industry
- The "Chemist's Lens" I bring a material-driven perspective to biological engineering, unlocking scalability and cost-efficiency where traditional approaches struggle. This capability is rooted in treating DNA/RNA as functional macromoleculesâapplying polymer science to resolve fundamental formulation bottlenecks.
- Full-Stack Proficiency I deliver technical oversight that bridges the gap between R&D concepts and reliable product delivery. This capability stems from my mastery of the end-to-end workflowâenforcing strict process controls from upstream enzymatic synthesis to downstream purification and quantification.
Computational R&D & AI Integration
I engineer AI tools to automate the unmanageable and achieve the unreachable, while teaching others to do the same.
- Workflow Automation & Standardization: Integrate AI via data pipelines and lightweight agents to solve automation bottlenecksâstandardizing documentation and significantly shortening the path from prototype to production.
- Applied Impact: Engineered AI-assisted Python workflows for my 11 km² tracer study, automating analysis that would be impossible manually, transforming raw sensor data into publication-ready insights with unprecedented speed.
- AI Leadership & Education: Leveraging my CS Minor and ML-with-Python certification, I serve as a Co-Instructor and Guest Lecturer at Cornell. I teach building AI agents, prompt engineering, data analysis, and web codingâempowering students and researchers to upgrade their scientific toolkit.