Dr Jiayu Li
Dr Li completed his undergraduate studies in 2022 at the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, where he began exploring how cell potency is regulated under the mentorship of Dr. Hongkui Deng through the Innovative Talent Program. Fascinated by the fundamental question of how a single cell gives rise to an entire organism, he continued his journey at Peking University Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine Centre, earning his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Jun Xu. His doctoral research focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms behind naïve pluripotency and totipotency, advancing our understanding of the earliest moments of human life.
In July 2025, Dr. Li joined Dr. Peter Rugg-Gunn’s group at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge, as a postdoctoral research scientist, where he studies the epigenetic dynamics of peri-implantation embryos.
Outside of research, Jiayu is a former national-level tennis athlete who continues to enjoy sports as a way to recharge. He also has a deep love for music and plays the trumpet in his free time.
Select publications
- Jiayu Li, Liangfu Xie, Cheng Shi, Tiantian Zhang, Xiwen Lin, Haokun Da, Kongqianqian Sun, Chunsheng
Han, Bing Zhu, Xi Chen, Hongkui Deng, Jun Xu, CRISPR-based screening identifies the role of KRAB-
containing transcription factors ZIM3 and ZNF394 in human major zygotic genome activation, Cell
Reports, 2025 - Jiayu Li, Xiwen Lin, Liangfu Xie, Jingru Zhao, Chunsheng Han, Hongkui Deng, Jun Xu, A CRISPR/Cas9-based
kinome screen identifies ErbB signaling as a new regulator of human naïve pluripotency and totipotency,
Life Medicine, 2023 - Zhuran Zhao, Xi Chen, Shan Wang, Min Fu, Huan Shen, Jiayu Li, Jun Xu, Jiong Qin, Cheng Shi, Chemically
defined and xeno-free media enables the derivation of human extended pluripotent stem cell lines from
discarded blastocysts with a high efficiency, Cell & Bioscience, 2025
Select awards
- 2025 – Peking University Excellent Graduate
- 2024-2025 – Peking University Presidential Scholarship
- 2019 – 9th Cross-Strait Medical Student Exchange Best Future Award
- 2017-2018 – Peking University May 4th Scholarship
