Bo Li is a tenured associate professor at the School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research focuses on developing advanced multiphoton imaging technologies for large-scale, high-speed, and deep-tissue recording of neural activity in vivo. His group is particularly interested in pushing the spatial, temporal, and depth limits of optical neuroimaging, and in combining neural imaging with neuromodulation to study neural coding, cognition, behavior, and brain–computer interfaces.

He is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars and has also been recognized through the Shanghai Qiusuo Distinguished Young Scholar and Young Eastern Scholar programs. He has published more than 20 papers as first or corresponding author in journals including Nature Methods, Light: Science & Applications, and Laser & Photonics Reviews. He received the 2020 Bernard J. Couillaud Prize.

Wide-field, high-speed, and deep-tissue multiphoton imaging in vivo

Cross-scale recording of large-scale neural activity

Applications of neuroimaging to cognition, behavior, and brain-computer interfaces

2011.09–2015.06  Ph.D. in Communication and Information Systems, Beijing Jiaotong University, China

2012.10–2014.09  Joint Ph.D. Student in Ultrafast Signal Processing, University of Quebec, Canada

2009.09–2011.07  M.S. in Optical Communication and Mobile Communication, Beijing Jiaotong University, China

2005.09–2009.07  B.S. in Applied Physics, Shandong University, China

2025.09–Present  Tenured Associate Professor (Professor), School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

2020.10–2025.08  Young Investigator, Institute for Translational Brain Research, Fudan University, China

2015.09–2020.08  Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, USA

2022.10–2024.10  Young Editorial Board Member, Frontiers of Optoelectronics

2023.05–2025.05  Young Editorial Board Member, Journal of Innovative Optical Health Sciences

2021.09–2026.08  Young Committee Member, 3rd Biomedical Photonics Committee, Chinese Optical Society

2023.01–Present  Member, Young Editorial Committee, Chinese Laser Press; Young Editorial Board Member, Chinese Journal of Lasers

2026.08–Present  Young Editorial Board Member, PhotoniX Life

2025.07–Present  First-term Committee Member, Medical and Healthcare Working Group, U.S. Branch, Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association

1. Min Zhang#, Shoupei Liu#, Yaoguang Zhao, Yanfeng Zhu, Xinyang Gu, Cihang Kong, Jiahao Hu, Huiyun Yu, Jingchuan Wu, Fang Xu, Liang Chen, Ying Mao, Bo Li*, Kilohertz-rate two-photon voltage imaging of population dynamics in vivo, Light: Science & Applications, accepted (2026).

2. B. Li*, C. Wu, M. Wang, K. Charan, C. Xu*, An adaptive excitation source for high speed multiphoton microscopy, Nature Methods, 17, 163–166 (2020).

3. Yaoguang Zhao, Xinyang Gu, Cihang Kong, Shoupei Liu, Yanfeng Zhu, Jixiong Su, Jingchuan Wu, Fang Xu, Liang Chen, Ying Mao, Bo Li*, A Compact Two-Photon Module for Simultaneous Dual-Depth, Multi-Region in Vivo Brain Imaging, Laser & Photonics Reviews, 20, e70938 (2026). (Cover)

4. P. Deng, S. Liu, Y. Zhao, X. Zhang, Y. Kong, L. Liu, Y. Xiao, S. Yang, J. Hu, J. Su, A. Xuan, J. Xu, H. Li, X. Su, J. Wu, Y. Mu, Z. Shao*, C. Kong*, B. Li*, Long-working-distance high-collection-efficiency three-photon microscopy for in vivo long-term imaging of zebrafish and organoids, iScience, 27(8), 110554 (2024).

5. S.-S. Yang, Q. He, X. Gu, S. Liu, W. Ke, L. Chen, B. Li*, Y. Shu*, W.-J. Gao*, Transient inhibition of mediodorsal thalamus during early adolescence induces hypofrontality and social memory deficits in young adulthood, Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 100486 (2025).

6. Yinying Sun#, Bo Li#, Yiting Wang, Xuliang Jiang, Su Tang, Jiayi Zhang, Jun Zhang, Prefrontal neurophysiological changes associated with subanesthetic esketamine accelerating mice emergence from propofol anesthesia, Brain Research Bulletin, 233, 111648 (2025).

7. Y.-X. Ren, J. Frueh*, Z. Zhang, S. Rutkowski, Y. Zhou, H. Mao, C. Kong, S. I. Tverdokhlebov, W. Liu, K. K. Y. Wong*, B. Li*, Topologically protected optical pulling force on synthetic particles through photonic nanojet, Nanophotonics, 13(2), 239–249 (2024).

1. 2027.01–2030.12  General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), No. 32671461, “Wide-field two-photon imaging based on lateral fluorescence collection and the organization and propagation of cortical population activity,” RMB 500,000, Principal Investigator, approved.

2. 2026–2028  Second Batch of Concept Validation Projects, Shanghai Brain-Computer Interface Future Industry Cluster, “Neuromodulation visualization validation platform for brain-computer interface development,” Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Principal Investigator, ongoing.

3. 2025.01–2028.12  General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), No. 32471142, “Development of next-generation high-throughput deep-tissue in vivo three-photon imaging technology: applications and innovations for Alzheimer’s disease neural network research,” RMB 500,000, Principal Investigator, ongoing.

4. 2023.01–2025.12  National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), No. T2222006, “Development and application of three-photon and two-photon imaging technologies,” RMB 2,000,000, Principal Investigator, completed.

5. 2022.07–2025.06  2022 Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan – Basic Research Program of Shanghai, No. 22JC1403102, “Novel whole-brain multimodal fusion optical imaging technologies” (subproject: “Deep optical functional brain imaging technology”), RMB 750,000, Subproject Principal Investigator, completed.