Li read Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at Churchill College, Cambridge and completed his PhD at Princeton University.

[11] He was a fellow of the Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program[12] and co-chaired Princeton University's Undergraduate Research Symposium's steering committee.

[26] Li founded the program based on his own experience as a PhD trying to enter industry and data scientist hiring manager.

[34] Li serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Marshall Scholars[35] and America Needs You, an American non-profit that pairs low-income first-generation college students with professional mentors.

[36] He is also an advisor for The Innovation Enterprise,[37] Expii, the LendIt,[33] a member of the O'Reilly Strata programming committee,[38] and the National Leadership Council for Society for Science and the Public.