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: pchao@alumni.ubc.ca |
Po-Han is currently a PhD student under Dr. Li’s advisory in Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC. After completing his BSc in Nano Science and Engineering at National Chiao Tung University, He earned his Master in Biomedical Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. His research project is to develop lipid-based nanoparticles for targeted therapy against cancer and liver diseases. | |
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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 Wang |
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. | |
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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Binh Thanh Tran |
Binh attended the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he received his master’s degree in pharmaceutics. He is currently a master’s student in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Under the supervision of Dr. Li, he is working on developing nanomedicines for gene 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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Visiting Scholars