Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Shayou Li 

The School of Data Science at UNC Charlotte is excited to recognize Dr. Shayou Li’s leadership. As the first Program Director for the Ph.D. in Data Science, Dr. Li will help create new opportunities for students and faculty, shaping future scholars, researchers, and leaders.

A Growing Vision 

Dr. Li’s vision for the new Ph.D. program is clear. She aims to develop scholars, researchers, and leaders who use data to better understand the world and change how knowledge in data science is created, shared, and used. She also stresses the value of mentorship throughout the program.

“By design, our program brings together foundational rigor and multidisciplinary collaboration, and I believe that combination will position it as a leader in how data-driven knowledge is generated. Equally important is the culture we are building: a culture of mentorship, inclusion, and intellectual ambition. I want our students to succeed individually and collaboratively.” 

Her passion is driving the program’s growth and the exciting research that students and faculty will explore under her leadership.

Li’s Journey 

Dr. Li’s path to her current role has been impressive. Her main research is in statistical genetics and genomics, inspired by her interest in biology and her hands-on experience with genetics data during her Master’s degree.

 “I was drawn to this field because it sits at a powerful intersection of statistics, data science, and biomedical research, where quantitative methods can help answer some of the most important questions in disease and health.”

Before becoming a 49er, Dr. Li spent three years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There, she saw how researchers from different fields worked together to develop new treatments for pediatric cancer by analyzing genetic and genomic data. Work should ultimately serve a larger purpose. Li shares how this mindset still drives her work and how she hopes to pass it on to the students in the program.

Trends within the Industry

With her broad experience in data science and statistics, and her work on mHealth studies to tackle public health issues, Dr. Li has witnessed many trends and developments that are advancing the field.

“There is genuinely a lot to be excited about right now. One of the exciting developments in statistical genomics is the shift from studying genes in isolation to studying biology at a much higher resolution through single-cell, spatial, and multimodal data. Also, AI and foundation models are opening new possibilities for learning multi-omics and large-scale cellular data, and I am excited by the growing ability to connect statistical association with biological mechanisms through functional genomics and by the progress being made in genomic prediction across diverse populations.

With exciting trends and projects emerging, for example, a main goal of Dr. Li’s mHealth project with Dr. Donna Kazemi at the University of North Carolina and Dr. Mohamad Shehab at UNC Charlotte was to develop a feasible and accessible smartphone app to help reduce dangerous drinking among college students. These innovations represent just the starting point for how Dr. Li plans to train and mentor the next generation of students.

Hope for Ph.D Students

The premise of the new Ph.D program is centered on the integration of the following pillars: statistics, AI, machine learning, and data ethics. Given real-world complications, students entering the Ph.D program should aim to be well-versed and fluent across multiple disciplines so they are equipped to lead in any position this degree will take them. 

 “My core advice [to students] is to develop both a deep domain knowledge and a strong quantitative foundation, and not to treat those as separate tracks. Data science is most powerful when it is guided by a clear understanding of the scientific questions, the existing gaps, and the real-world context of the problem.”

As the program launches and helps students start their careers in data science, Dr. Li highlights the importance of curiosity and the drive to ask questions and explore answers. She welcomes students from all backgrounds who are eager to learn and contribute to the field.

Dr. Li brings passion and promise to her new role, and students may wonder where to focus their development as they begin the program.

“Start with the fundamentals: mathematics, statistics, programming, and analytical thinking. Those core skills matter because they give you the language and tools to engage deeply with research problems, not just apply the methods, but understand why those methods work and how to make them work better.”

When asked about starting her new role at UNC Charlotte, home to the Carolinas’ first dedicated Ph.D. program in data science, Dr. Li responded enthusiastically.

“What excites me most is that we are building something genuinely new, not retrofitting data science into a single intellectual lane, but designing a program from the ground up around integration and collaboration. I am also excited by the culture we are building around that vision, one that prioritizes mentorship, professional development, and collaboration.”