Professor LI Chun is an Outstanding Young Scholar of National Science Fund of China. He is also the chief scientist of “Synthetic Biology” of the National Key Research and Development Program of China. He has been interested in Biomanufacturing of plant natural products and Design of industrial microorganisms with intelligent and multiple-stress resistance, focusing on enzymatic transformation and microbial synthesis of licorice terpenoids and flavonoids. He has finished developments and scale-up application of enzymatic degumming of plant oils, biotransformation of glycyrrhizin and industrial yeast with Multilevel Defense System (MDS) for ethanol production since 2000. He has obtained 41 authorized invention patents. He has published 450 journal papers. He has compiled 11 books as chief editor or associate editor. Among them, Synthetic Biology, Introduction to Biological Engineering and Biochemistry have been widely used as textbooks in many universities. Prof. LI Chun is an associate director of Branch of Industrial Biotechnology, and an associate director of Branch of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Society of Biotechnology. He also is an Executive Chief-in-Editor of Synthetic Biology Journal and an associate Editor of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.

1988~1992 B.Sc, Plant Protection, Shihezi University

1992~1995 M.S., Microbiology, Shihezi University

1995~1998 Assistant Professor, Department of Food Engineering, Shihezi University

1998~2001 Ph.D, Biochemical Engineering, Tianjin University

2001~2003 Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

2003~2006 Professor, Dean, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi University

2006~2017 Professor, Chair, Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology

2017~2020 Professor, vice Dean,School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology

2020~present Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University

Professor Li Chun has been focusing his research on Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering, Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, detailed in biotransformation and synthesis of plant (licorice) natural products and biobased fuels in microbial cell factories, engineering application and reprogramming industrial microorganisms with multiple-stress resistance via constructing Multilevel Defense System (MDS), and microbial control and plant health since 2003.

1.Jian X, Sun Q, Xu W, Qu H, Feng X*, Li C*. Engineering the Substrate Specificity of UDP-Glycosyltransferases for Synthesizing Triterpenoid Glycosides with a Linear Trisaccharide as Aided by Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2024 Aug 22:e202409867.

2.Xiaolong Teng, Yuanwei Gou, Xuanwei Ding, Yueping Zhang, Di Gao, Yingjia Pan, Xiaolin Shen, Jiazhang Lian*, Chun Li*, Jinyu Fu*, Shuobo Shi*. An expanded library of 76 integration sites for gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. AIChE J. 2025 Mar; e18818.

3.Zhang J, Zhao G, Bai W, Chen Y, Zhang Y, Li F, Wang M, Shen Y, Wang Y*, Wang X*, Li C*. A Genomewide Evolution-Based CRISPR/Cas9 with Donor-Free (GEbCD) for Developing Robust and Productive Industrial Yeast. ACS Synth Biol. 2024 Aug 16;13(8):2335-2346.

4.Sun Wentao, Wan Shengtong, Liu Chuyan, Wang Ruwen, Zhang Haocheng, Qin Lei, Wang Runming, Lv Bo*, Li Chun*. Establishing cell suitability for high-level production of licorice triterpenoids in yeast. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B. 2024, 14(9): 4134-4148.

5.Zhang Na, Li Xiaohan, Zhou Qiang, Zhang Ying, Lv Bo, Hu Bing*, Li Chun*. Self-controlled in silico gene knockdown strategies to enhance the sustainable production of heterologous terpenoid by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Metab Eng. 2024, 83:172-182.

6.Yang Bo, Sun Wentao, Liu Xinhe, Ding Ming-zhu, Feng Xudong*, Li Chun*. Specific Glycosylation System Enables the High-Level and Sustainable Production of Glycyrrhetinic Acid 3-O-monoglucuronide and Glycyrrhizin in Engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2024, 12(4):1514–1525.

7.Qin Lei, Ma Dongshi, Lin Guangyuan, Sun Wentao, Li Chun*. Low temperature promotes the production and efflux of terpenoids in yeast. Bioresource Technology 2024, 24:130376

8.Ting An, Guangyuan Lin, Yang Liu, Lei Qin, Yuquan Xu, Xudong Feng*, Chun Li*. De novo biosynthesis of icariin in engineered yeast. Metabolic Engineering. 2023, 80:207-215.

9.Zhu Ying, Zhou Chen, Liu Xia, Li Xinying, Shi Caifang, Zhang Yapeng, Wang Ying*, Li Chun*. Aided-efflux and high production of β-amyrin realized by β-cyclodextrin in situ synthesized on surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biotechnol Bioeng. 2023, 120(4):1147-1158.

10.Liu Xia#, Qin Lei#, Yu Jie, Sun Wentao, Xu Jianhong, Li Chun*. Real-time monitoring of subcellular states with genetically encoded redox biosensor system (RBS) in yeast cell factories. Biosens Bioelectron. 2023, 222:114988

11.Gao Bo†, Yang Bo†, Feng Xudong*, Li Chun*. Recent advances in the biosynthesis strategies of nitrogen heterocyclic natural products, Natural Product Reports, 2022 Jan, 39(1):139-162.

12.Sun Jiachen, Sun Wentao, Zhang Genlin*, Lv Bo*, Li Chun*. High efficient production of plant flavonoids by microbial cell factories: Challenges and opportunities. Metabolic Engineering, 2022, 70: 143-154.

13.Shichao Ren, Qiuyan Sun, Liang Zhang, Wentao Sun, Yongxing Li, Xudong Feng* and Li Chun*. Sustainable production of rare oleanane-type ginsenoside Ro with an artificial glycosylation pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Green Chemistry, 2022, 24, 8302-8313.

14.Qin Lei, Dong Shuxin, Yu Jie, Ning Xiaoyu, Xu Ke, Zhang Sen-Jia, Xu Li, Li Bing-Zhi, Li Jun, Yuan Ying-Jin, Li Chun*. Stress-driven dynamic regulation of multiple tolerance genes improves robustness and productive capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in industrial lignocellulose fermentation. Metabolic Engineering, 2020, 61:160-170.

15.Yu Yuan, Aairm Rasool, Haoran Liu, Lv Bo, Chang Pengcheng, Song Hao, Wang Ying, Li Chun*. Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for high yield production of α-amyrin via synergistic remodeling of α-amyrin synthase and expanding the storage pool. Metabolic engineering, 2020, 62:72-83.

16.Sun Wentao, Xue Haijie, Liu Hu, Lv Bo, Yu Yang*, Wang Ying*, Huang Meilan, Li Chun*, Controlling chemo- and regioselectivity of a plant P450 in yeast cell toward rare licorice triterpenoid biosynthesis. ACS Catalysis, 2020, 10, 4253-4260.

17.Xu Ke1, Qin Lei1, Bai Wenxin, Wang Xiaoyan, Li Fan, Ren Shichao, Gao Xiaopeng, Chen Bo, Tong Yi, Li Jun, Li Bing-Zhi, Yuan Ying-Jin, and Li Chun*. Multilevel Defense System (MDS) Relieves Multiple Stresses for Economically Boosting Ethanol Production of Industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Energy Lett. 2020, 5, 572−582

18.Zhang Liang, Ren Shichao, Liu Xiaofei, Liu Xiaochen, Guo Fang, Sun Wentao, Feng Xudong* and Li Chun*. Mining of UDP‐glucosyltrfansferases in licorice for controllable glycosylation of pentacyclic triterpenoids. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2020.DOI:10.1002/bit.27518

19.Zhu Ming, Wang Caixia, Sun Wentao, Zhou Anqi, Wang Ying, Zhang Genlin, Zhou Xiaohong, Huo Yixin, Li Chun*. Boosting 11-oxo-β-amyrin and glycyrrhetinic acid synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via pairing novel oxidation and reduction system from legume plants. Metabolic Engineering, 2018, 45, 43-50.

20.Lv Bo, Sun Hanli, Huang Shen, Feng Xudong, Jiang Tao, Li Chun*. Structure-guided engineering of the substrate specificity of a fungal β-glucuronidase toward triterpenoid saponins. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2018, 293(2):433-443.

Excellent talents plan of new century of Ministry of Education in 2004

The award of Huo Yingdong Education Foundation in 2005

2nd Class Natural Science of Tianjin Government in 2006

Special government allowance of the State Council in 2006

2nd Class Invention Award of Ministry of Education in 2014

National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2014

Hou Debang Innovation Award for Chemical Science and Technology in 2017

Voted Chief Scientist for Propagating the Biological Engineering in China in 2017

Gold Prizes for International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) in 2012-2019，2024