• Biosensors

  • Microrobotics

  • Living Materials

About

We combine precision manufacturing, biomaterials, and emerging biophysics to develop bio-integrated technologies that allow us to precisely record, understand, and modulate biological systems. We are particularly interested in applying these technologies to interrogate the complex nervous circuits, to identify and screen new biomarkers, and to manipulate microbial activities.

We hope these technologies and findings will eventually contribute to both physical and mental health through the creation of new diagnostics and therapeutics.

Work in our lab can be broadly divided into the following interconnected domains:

  1. Wearable and implantable biosensors for studying brain chemistry and continuous health monitoring.

  2. Micro/nanorobotics for precision therapeutics.

  3. Engineered living materials.

Learn more by reading our Research.

Openings

We always welcome talented postdoctoral scholars and Ph.D. students.

Graduate students can apply for admission through the following programs: Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, and the BioMolecular Science Gateway.

We also welcome undergraduate students to join the lab.

As a cross-disciplinary lab, we especially encourage applicants from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.

Contact: jl@msu.edu

Sponsors

NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
National Science Foundation (NSF) CMMI/DCSD/EFMA/ECCS
DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) HESTIA/IGNIITE
Henry Ford Health+Michigan State University Health Sciences (HFH+MSU HS)
Spartan Innovations
MSU Innovations Technology Development Fund
MSU Office of Research and Innovation’s Global Impact Initiative

Highlights

News

Research article (led by Liuxi and Yulu), “TriMag Microrobots: 3D-Printed Microrobots for Magnetic Actuation, Imaging, and Hyperthermia,” published in Advanced Materials, August 2025.

Li Lab receives the NIH NIBIB Trailblazer Award for developing microrobots for targeted gene delivery. May 2025.

Review paper (led by Jiaqi and Yi) on Engineering Magnetotactic Bacteria as Medical Microrobots is published in Advanced Materials. April 2025.

Jinxing Li receives DOE ARPA-E IGNIITE New Innovator Award at National Academies in DC. July 2024

Congratulations to Li Lab Postdoc Dr. Liuxi Xing for winning Spartan Innovations Entrepreneurship Postdoctoral Fellowship! He will be developing wearable electronics for translational use. Jan. 2024

LI Lab undergrad Charlie Meilinger (MechE) presents soft electronics at 2023 BMES Meeting, Seattle. Oct. 2023

LI Lab receives the HFH+MSU Health Sciences Center Cancer Pilot Grant Award for developing Microrobotic Cancer Therapy. July 2023

LI Lab receives a grant from NSF Dynamics, Control and System Diagnostics (DCSD) to study Microrobots in Complex Fluids. July 2023

LI Lab receives an EAGER grant from NSF Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) to make Biosensors. July 2023

Congratulations to LI Lab undergrads Bella Rodrigues (Engineering Sciences) and Michael Ngatio (Biochemistry) for winning FIRST PLACE AWARD in the 2023 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) for their work on microrobotics! April 2023

LI Lab presents “Tiny Robots“ at MSU Science Festival. April 2023

Congratulations to Vittorio Mottini for being selected by the MSU BME department as an Honorable Mention for the Outstanding Graduate Student Award of 2023! March 2023