Dr Li's main research interests span across condensed-matter physics and materials science, focusing on atomic-scale fabrication of oxide heterostructures and nanomembranes, kinetic based synthesis of unconventional quantum materials, low-dimensional superconductivity, oxide interfaces for emergent states, etc. In 2019, a team led by Dr Li and Prof Hwang discovered the first nickelate superconductor, which had been a target of continuous materials search for over three decades.