James Li is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. He also holds faculty appointments at the Waisman Center and in the Center for Demography of Health and Aging. Before coming to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Dr. Li completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed his clinical internship at the UMPC Western Psychiatric Hospital, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in psychiatric and statistical genetics at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics. Dr. Li’s research lies at the cross-section between clinical science, genomics, and developmental psychology. He is interested in understanding how genes and environments interact in the development of mental disorders in children—with a particular focus on highly heritable disorders like ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. His current work integrates modern genome-wide tools with neuroimaging, social and behavioral information, and clinical data to enhance the diagnostic precision and accuracy for these disorders.
A word from Craig Berridge, Chair of Psychology:
The Department of Psychology is excited to congratulate Dr. James Li on his promotion to Associate Professor. His research on the genetics of developmental behavioral disorders places him at the forefront of a famously difficult area. He is also an outstanding teacher and mentor. We are fortunate to have him in our ranks.