Our group focuses on developing innovative tools for detecting and characterizing biomolecules, which will eventually lead to advancement in medical diagnostics and therapeutics. During the past several years, we have developed several innovative bioanalytical methods, including a unique ionization method for mass spectrometry analysis termed Vibrating Sharp-edge Spray Ionization (VSSI), methods for controlling the patterns and location of acoustic streaming in microfluidic devices, a method for controlling fluids without the need for external equipment (based on 3D printed microdevices), and a readily portable method for on-demand generation of monodisperse microdroplets for digital biosensing. Our research has been recognized through various awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, the Eli Lilly Young Investigator Award, the Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry Beynon Prize, and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Researcher Award. Moving forward, we will continue to leverage our expertise in bioanalysis, mass spectrometry, acoustics, microfluidics, and 3D printing to address challenging issues in studying various kinds of biomolecules.
Peng Li
Associate Professor
610-758-3421
pel624@lehigh.edu
Education:
2004-2008 Tianjin University, B.S.
2008-2012 Texas Tech University, Ph.D.
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Research Areas
Additional Interests
- Mass Spectrometry
- Bioanalysis
- Medical Diagnostics
- Microfluidics
Research Statement
Biography
Peng Li is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Lehigh University. He earned his B.S. from Tianjin University in 2008 and his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University in 2012. Following his doctoral studies, he conducted postdoctoral research at Penn State University from 2012 to 2016. He began his independent academic career as an Assistant Professor at West Virginia University in 2016 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2022, serving in that role until 2025.
Selected Publications
- Godary, Toktam, Binkley, Brandi, Liu, Zhengru, Awoyemi, Olanrewaju, Overby, Amanda, Yuliantoro, Herbi, Fike, Bethany_J, Anderson, Sydney and Li, Peng* "Acoustofluidics: Technology Advances and Applications from 2022 to 2024" Analytical Chemistry, 97, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c06803
- Brandi Binkley, Peng Li* A Facile Surface Modification Strategy for Antibody Immobilization on 3D-Printed Surfaces, Biosensors, 2025, 15, 211.
- Jing Wang; Xue Bo; Olanrewaju Awoyemi; Herbi Yuliantoro; Lihini Tharanga Mendis; Amanda DeVor; Stephen J Valentine; Peng Li*, Parallel Sample Processing for Mass Spectrometry-based Single Cell Proteomics, Analytica Chimica Acta, 2024, 1329, 343241.
- Jing Wang, Kathrine Curtin, Stephen J. Valentine, Peng Li*, Unlocking the potential of 3D printed microfluidics for mass spectrometry analysis using liquid infused surfaces, Analytica Chimica Acta, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2023.341792.
- Chong Li, Balapuwaduge Lihini Mendis, Lisa Holland, Peng Li*, Investigation of the impact of liquid presence on the acoustic streaming generated by a vibrating sharp tip capillary, Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 2024, 28, 17.
- Bethany J. Fike, Kathrine Curtin and Peng Li* Nucleic Acid Target Sensing Using a Vibrating Sharp-Tip Capillary and Digital Droplet Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (ddLAMP), Sensors 2024, 24(13), 4266 (Cover Article)
- Kathrine Curtin, Jing Wang, Bethany J. Fike, Brandi Binkley, Peng Li* 3D printed microfluidic device for scalable multiplexed CRISPRcas12a biosensing, Biomedical Microdevices, 2023, 25:34.
- Daud Sharif, Mohammad Rahman, Sultan Mahmud, Mst Nigar Sultana, Kushani Attanayake, Anthony DeBastiani, Samira Hajian Foroushani, Peng Li, and Stephen J. Valentine*, In-droplet hydrogen–deuterium exchange to examine protein/peptide solution conformer heterogeneity, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.9593
- Alyssa R. Stonebraker, Maryssa Beasley, Sophia Massinople, Michelle Wunder, Peng Li, Stephen J. Valentine, Justin Legleiter*, Cholesterol impacts the formation of huntingtin/lipid complexes and subsequent aggregation, Protein Science 2023, https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.4642
- Jing Wang, Madison E. Pursell, Amanda DeVor, Olanrewaju Awoyemi, Stephen J Valentine*, and Peng Li*, Portable Mass Spectrometry System: Instrumentation, Applications, and Path to ‘omics Analysis, Proteomics, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/pmic.202200112
- Madison E. Pursell, Daud Sharif, Anthony DeBastiani, Chong Li, Sandra Majuta, Peng Li,* and Stephen J. Valentine*, Development of cVSSI-APCI for the Improvement of Ion Suppression and Matrix Effects in Complex Mixtures, Analytical Chemistry, 2022, 94, 26, 9226–9233.
- Shujie Yang, Zhenhua Tian, Zeyu Wang, Joseph Rufo, Peng Li, John Mai, Jianping Xia, Hunter Bachman, Po-Hsun Huang, Mengxi Wu, Chuyi Chen, Luke P. Lee* & Tony Jun Huang*, Harmonic acoustics for dynamic and selective particle manipulation, Nature Materials, 2022, 21, 540–546.
- Z. He, J. Huffman, K. Curtin, K. Krista, E. Bowdridge, X. Li, T. Nurkiewicz, P. Li*, Composable Microfluidic Plates (cPlate): A Simple and Scalable Fluid Manipulation System for Multiplexed Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Analytical Chemistry, 2021, 93, 3, 1489–1497
- X. Li, Z. He, C. Li, P. Li*, One-step enzyme kinetics measurement in 3D printed microfluidic devices based on a high-performance single vibrating sharp-tip mixer. Anal Chim Acta. 2021, 1172, 338677.
- Z. He, J. Wang, B. J. Fike, X. Li, C. Li, B. L. Mendis, P. Li*, A portable droplet generation system for ultra-wide dynamic range digital PCR based on a vibrating sharp-tip capillary, Biosens Bioelectron. 2021, 191:113458.
- C. Li, K. Attanayake, S. Valentine, P. Li*, Facile Improvement of Negative Ion Mode Electrospray Ionization using Capillary Vibrating Sharp-edge Spray Ionization (cVSSI), Analytical Chemistry, 2020, 92, 3, 2492-2502.
Teaching
Mass Spectrometry
Analytical Chemistry
General Chemistry