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Research
Dr. Li's is currently researching the mechanism by which the gene for Huntington's Disease causes neuronal cell death.
"The gene was cloned in 1993- at the time it was a big story. They'd been looking for the gene for almost 10 years, since identifying the chromosome. This field is getting very very active... so I think I chose [my research focus] correctly." Xiao believes that now that the gene has been identified it should be relatively easy to understand the mechanism for Huntington's disease and thus provide a complete gene-to-cell-level-symptoms picture of how it kills neurons. Such a picture would have application in treating other neurodegenerative diseases, as well, as several of them are caused by the same mutation as Huntington's.
For Dr. Li, research is an integral part of his status as a human being. "Once you make a discovery, you have your identity. You are not just like other people working normally, 8 hours a day: you have a publication. You will probably become world known, you go to scientific meetings to interact w/ other scientists. So really- you have your identity."
Education
B.S., Jiangxi Medical College China, 1986; Ph.D., Oregon Health Sciences University, 1991
Mao Zedong's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution nearly prevented Dr. Xiao Jiang Li from getting anything higher than a high school education.
"They closed most colleges for 10 years. When I graduated from high school I didn't get a chance to go to college... I had to go to a countryside factory to work for a couple of years." Fortunately, the Chinese government decided to re-open the universities, and Dr. Li went to Jiangxi Medical College, where he received a B.S. in medicine.
After receiving his medical degree, Li's options for further education were limited. "There were very few places you could go for a Ph.D." Like many of his peers, he applied to universities in the U.S. But getting into a prestigious university turned out the be the least of his worries. "At that time the most difficult phase was to get permission from the government to get out. That was a painful process. I think it's much easier now."
Having arrived in the U.S., the adjustment process began. First, there was the language barrier. Just as trying were the cultural differences. "You really have to adjust yourself to this society- your values and your thinking and all your background are all so different from what you see here."
"I think the first thing is that you have to learn to be independent in this society- how to protect yourself. Now in China, it's a communist country, everything is controlled totally by government or by higher authorities. So there are not many opportunities for you to seek something... But here- it's a free society. So there tend to be a lot of opportunities- but on the other hand the competition tends to be higher, too. You have to learn to compete, and fairly. How to get what you deserve... like everything, you really have to decide, make up your mind, make your choice.
"So actually this is a very challenging thing to many young Chinese students- when they come here, go to graduate school, they think it's tough, and they don't have the patience to do it, so they change their job- maybe go into computers or go to business school or get a quicker degree, a quicker job.
"I don't think it's a problem- I think it's a good opportunity for them to rethink their future careers. But I feel sorry for some students- I know some very bright students who can do very good science- but they've lost their patience- they turn-in their scientific career...
"It's just like many young American kids- it's the same thing exactly...
If you have many choices, you will lose your focus.
But if you do not have many choices, you cannot develop your ability or your career.
So you need time to adjust, to learn how to survive."
Teaching
Dr. Li divides his time between teaching graduate students molecular biology and teaching medical students human molecular genetics. Dr. Li finds that he must adopt very different teaching styles when dealing with the two groups.
"For medical students it's 'what's the most important information?'...you just give them the knowledge. You really have to be clear- because they have so many courses to take."
"When we teach grad students, it's different- normally we give them research articles: what do you think about this paper- the data, is it valid? Can you think of any other hypothesis, shortcomings?... you must provide them opportunity to think, to analyze, to research a problem."
Other interests
Dr. Li lists spending time with his wife and two daughters as his favorite after-work pasttime. "I think family is probably more important than science. Once you have a good family, then you can do good science."
Advice to students
"Teaching is important... [but] for most top schools, [Ivy League] they just emphasize your research, your publication, your grants.
"I'm a person who likes to work hard. I don't think you need everyone in academia to be like that- it really depends on you. In science, there are so many things you can do- you can work 7 days a week, and you'll be very productive. You can also work like the rest of the faculty- have a life. You can still do good science. I don't want to give the impression that once you become a research scientist, that your personal life will be terrible- it's really up to you. Now, if you're in the middle of an important discovery, you may have to work very hard, come to the bench until midnight, to publish.
"On the other hand, for academia, for a professor, it's very relaxed- there's a lot of freedom. Besides the teaching responsibility, you can go anywhere you want to go- any kind of meeting, you can take off time, you don't have to come here at a set time... No one's really accounting for your time- just your achievement. If you finish your teaching responsibility, if you can get enough grants to support your lab, if you've got active research, and a decent list of publications...
"It's very exciting, the job- because you are running the lab by yourself, and you have to do everything. All faculty- we just report to a chairman. So you are your own boss- you are running your lab, it's like running your own business. You have to manage your grants; the financial and the science."
What don't you like about academia?
"The insecurity. This is a very dependent position- you always feel high pressure, you have to move forward, you cannot slow down. The very simple thing is that you have to worry about your grants- If you're out of grants, I think you're out of this position- so this is the major concern for academics. Some people don't like to stay in academics because they don't like to write grants. At Emory, you have to have grants to maintain your lab... this is true at almost all private institutions, everything besides state universities... it pushes you to work very hard."
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