OU College of Medicine Names Founding Chair of Department of Molecular Genetics and Genome Sciences

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine has named Jun Li, Ph.D., the founding chair of the newly created Department of Molecular Genetics and Genome Sciences, pending approval from the OU Board of Regents.

By focusing on genomics, Li will build a department critical to the study of human health and disease. The genome describes a person’s complete set of DNA, and the epigenome describes the chemical changes that affect gene activity in tissues.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Li to the OU College of Medicine to lead this new research-based department,” said Ian Dunn, M.D., executive dean of the OU College of Medicine. “Genetics and genome sciences are revolutionizing research, and they are crucial to our mission of making discoveries that benefit our patients’ lives. Dr. Li brings the expertise and commitment to expand our college’s mission in this field.”

Li comes to the OU College of Medicine from the University of Michigan Medical School, where he served as a professor of human genetics and a professor and associate chair of the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics. His undergraduate studies were in physics at Peking University in China, after which he earned his doctorate in biophysics and electrophysiology at the California Institute of Technology. He completed post-doctoral work in genetics and genomics at Stanford University.

An important component of developing the new Department of Molecular Genetics and Genome Sciences involves expanding the college’s training programs. During his career, Li has been an active educator, teaching and mentoring next-generation scientists at all levels of their development. He has also been involved with educational outreach, mentoring high school and college students who are interested in biological sciences.

Li’s research activities have been extensively funded by the National Institutes of Health, and he has published more than 140 articles in peer-reviewed publications. In recent years, his teams have studied animal models of metabolic health, the genetics and epigenetics of drug abuse, cell and developmental biology of the reproductive system, and “multi-omic” analyses of human response to exercise, often involving careful integration of several types of biological data to better understand complex processes. In his previous role, he recently led discussions on the future of generative artificial intelligence in biomedical research.

For his innovations in computational biology and his leadership in fostering interdisciplinary genomic research, Li has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering. He is a member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Human Genetics, the American Society of Cancer Research, the International Society for Computational Biology and the American Statistical Association.

“I began my career in genetics in the early 2000s, at a time when genomics was also just starting,” Li said. “Having ‘grown up’ hand in hand with the field, I have seen its many powers, and many promises to be fulfilled. After over 17 years as faculty in the country’s oldest genetics department, I am truly honored to have the opportunity to lead the youngest of its kind, in a state known for its frontier spirit.”