Di Li

Dr. Li is a radio astronomer. He is the Chief Scientist of both the Five-hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) and the radio division of NAOC.

He pioneered several observing and data analysis techniques, including HI narrow self-absorption (HINSA) and a new inversion algorithm for solving the dust temperature distribution. These techniques facilitated important measurements of star forming regions, such as their formation time scale.

Dr. Li has led and/or made multiple significant discoveries, including the first detection of interstellar molecular oxygen, the first new pulsar, and the first new Fast Radio Burst (FRB) discovered by FAST. He is leading a large FAST survey that has discovered more than 100 pulsars, more than 5 FRBs, and obtained the largest FRB pulse set in the world to date.

He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles with more than 3500 citations. He won the National Research Council (US) Resident Research Fellow award (2005) based on his outstanding research capabilities and as a result of national competition. He won (as a member) the NASA outstanding team award (2009). He won the 2017 Distinguished Achievement Award (as a major contributor) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

He took on many leading and/or advisory roles in national and international organizations, including the Steering Committee of Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), the Cradle of Life science working group (as a co-chair) of the Square Kilometer Array, the CAS Major-facilities Guidance Group, and the advisory panel of the Breakthrough Listen initiative.