Rate My Professor Chunqiang Li

Chunqiang Li is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he serves as the Undergraduate Director in the Department of Physics. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Space Physics from Peking University in 1996, a Master of Science in Space Physics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1999, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 2006. After completing his doctorate, Li conducted postdoctoral research at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School. He joined UTEP in 2010 as an Assistant Professor, advancing to Associate Professor. His career at UTEP includes leading research in the Ultrafast Photonics lab and contributing to biophysics through advanced imaging technologies.

Li's research specializes in nonlinear optical microscopy and spectroscopy with applications in biophysics and quantum technology. He develops advanced techniques such as two-photon fluorescence, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, and pump-probe microscopy for molecular and cellular imaging of biological tissues and cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, he utilizes femtosecond laser spectroscopy to study ultrafast dynamics in molecular systems, including organic photovoltaics and two-dimensional materials, and investigates novel structured light for quantum information science. His expertise encompasses ultrafast lasers, quantum optics, optical microscopy, and bio-photonics. Li has authored numerous publications, including highly cited papers such as 'Effect of surface coating and organic matter on the uptake of CeO2 NPs by corn plants grown in soil: Insight into the uptake mechanism' (Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2012), 'Transport of Zn in a sandy loam soil treated with ZnO NPs and uptake by corn plants: Electron microprobe and confocal microscopy studies' (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2012), and 'Fast and fully-automated detection and segmentation of pulmonary nodules in thoracic CT scans using deep convolutional neural networks' (Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics, 2019). Recent works include 'Observing grazing behavior transitions in Cafeteria roenbergensis with video-rate two-photon microscopy' (Journal of Biological Physics, 2025) and studies on nanoparticle impacts in plants and anisotropic photoluminescence in nanowires. He has received the New Grant Award from UTEP ORSP (2014) and the Research Presentation Award from Texas Tech's 8th Annual Research Colloquium (2014), recognizing his contributions to microscopy technology and materials research.