Post-doctoral Fellows
Ramya Kannan, PhD
Email: ramya.kannan@ubc.ca |
Ramya completed her masters degree in nanoscience and technology from Anna University, India, where she explored the self-assembly nature of graphene oxide-based composites. She then pursued an interdisciplinary PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, India. Her PhD thesis explored the structural characteristics and biomedical applications of lower-generation dendron-based molecules. In addition to her PhD thesis, she also developed bio-based scaffolds for diabetic wound healing. Post her PhD she worked as a grants advisor at the DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance, a biomedical funding agency, and later as a chemical and materials research associate for a global organization. Ramya is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Li Lab, Laboratory of Targeted Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine at UBC. At the Li Lab, she will be designing effective lipid-based nanocarriers for nucleic acid delivery. | |
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Po-Han ChaoEmail: pohan.chao@ubc.ca |
Po-Han, guided by Dr. Li, received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from UBC. His thesis research focused on developing immunotherapy for peritoneal metastasis using cationic liposomes. Prior to his PhD, he completed his BSc in Nano Science and Engineering at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and earned his Master in Biomedical Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working on biomacromolecule delivery. | |
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Po-Yu Chou |
Po-Yu Chou completed his PhD in Pharmacy with a specialization in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan. He is a licensed pharmacist in Taiwan. His doctoral research focused on developing glycosylated PLGA nanoparticles as dendritic cell-targeting delivery vehicles for prophylactic and therapeutic cancer vaccination. Additionally, he investigated the development of glycosylated lipid nanoparticles loaded with the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein to elicit efficient immunogenicity in mice by targeting dendritic cells. After earning his PhD, Po-Yu worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the same institution, where he contributed to several projects, including the synthesis and evaluation of pharmacologically active compounds, such as LSD1/HDAC inhibitors, HSP90/LSD1 dual inhibitors, and related HDAC inhibitor derivatives. Po-Yu is now a postdoctoral fellow in the Li Lab at the Laboratory of Targeted Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, University of British Columbia (UBC). His current research focuses on designing polypeptide-based lipid nanoparticle delivery systems for mRNA and developing needle-free delivery technologies for proteins and peptides. | |
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Shang-Wen Lin |
Shang-Wen received both her Master’s and PhD degrees from the Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan. Throughout her graduate studies, she developed nanostructured lipid carriers for the topical delivery of a nalbuphine prodrug for pruritus management. Her PhD thesis focused on utilizing extracellular vesicles as drug carriers to deliver immune checkpoint inhibitors for glioma immunotherapy. Beyond her thesis work, she expanded her research on nanostructured lipid carriers to explore their applications in wound healing and inhalation-based anti-inflammatory treatments. Following her PhD, she had opportunities to explore pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics as a postdoctoral scholar. Shang-Wen is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Li Lab at the Laboratory of Targeted Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine at UBC, where she is designing thermosensitive gels for drug and cell delivery. | |
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PhD Students
Letong WangEmail: ltwang@student.ubc.ca |
Letong earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Peking University, China, where she focused on ultra-pH-sensitive polymers for cancer immunotherapy under the guidance of Prof. Yiguang Wang. In 2025, she joined Prof. Li’s Lab as a PhD student to further pursue her passion for nanomedicine. | |
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Vanessa ChanEmail: vgchan@student.ubc.ca |
Hailing all the way from Vancouver BC, Vanessa moved to Victoria in 2017 to pursue her undergraduate studies in Biochemistry. She graduated with an HBSc in 2022 after completing her Honour’s thesis in Dr. Julian Lum’s lab on the assessment of clinically relevant expansion protocols on CAR T cell function and phenotype. Throughout her undergraduate degree, she completed several internships at Amgen and Regeneron in antibody screening and cancer drug-target discovery through bioinformatics and various wet lab techniques. Vanessa is currently a Master’s student in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences under Dr. Li’s supervision where she will be working on the development of nanomedicines to improve cancer immunotherapies. Outside of the lab she enjoys finding new events around the city, exploring the outdoors, and traveling! | |
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Chen-Guang Chang |
Chen-Guang received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of Pharmacy at National Taiwan University. During his graduate studies, he conducted research on dendritic cell-targeted liposomes for cancer immunotherapy under the mentorship of Professors Pi-Hui Liang and Yung-Ling Lee. In 2025, he joined Dr. Li’s lab as a Ph.D. student to continue his research in the field of nanotechnology and drug delivery. | |
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MSc Students
April St PierreEmail: aprilst@student.ubc.ca |
April completed her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at UBC. Throughout her undergrad, she spent over two years in co-op and internship positions at Genevant Sciences, working on optimizing lipid nanoparticle formulations for increased efficacy and stability. She also worked with Dr. Pieter Cullis’ lab at UBC in her final year of undergrad, comparing the efficacy of different mRNAs within LNP formulations for her honours thesis. She is currently a student in the Masters of Pharmaceutical Sciences program under Dr. Li’s supervision. | |
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Ben Oke |
Ben completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC. He graduated in 2024 with a BSc in Chemistry for the Medical Sciences. During his degree, Ben worked as a frontline healthcare worker amid the Covid-19 pandemic and undertook a Co-op in analytical chemistry. Before graduating, he completed an 8-month Co-op in technology development at Genevant Sciences, where his work involved designing and synthesizing novel ionizable lipids to enhance the efficacy, tolerability, and specificity of lipid nanoparticle formulations. He is currently a student in the Masters of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program under Dr. Li’s supervision. | |
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Visiting Scholars
| Andrii Liutyi
Visiting Scholar, Summer 2025 |
Andrii is a medical student from Sumy State University, Ukraine, and a Mitacs Globalink Research Intern at the Laboratory of Targeted Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine. His research focuses on the development and characterization of lipid nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. During his internship, he is involved in formulation optimization, immunological profiling using ELISA and flow cytometry, and assisting with in vivo studies. Andrii has previous research experience in immunology and nanomedicine through Erasmus+ training in Germany and multiple scientific conferences, and is particularly interested in the interface of drug delivery, immune modulation, and materials science. | |
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