Contact Me
Hi! I am Charlie Li, a junior undergraduate on the Premed track at Washington University in St. Louis, double majoring in Computer Science and Biology (Genomics and Computational Biology Specialization) with a minor in Chemistry. While still in exploration, my general interest lies in the application of computater science to the advancement of the biological and health sciences.
B.S., Computer Science and Biology
Expected: May 2027
Aug 25 - Present
Interested in the extent of evolutionary determinism on the microscopic level, we studied the microbiome compositions of the Anolis lizards in the Greater Antilles, an example system of adaptive radiation, looking for phylogenetic and ecological relationships. Bioinformatics tools including QIIME2 and PICRUSt2 are utilized for analysis.
Jan 25 - Aug 25
As part of the competitive PEMRAP program at WashU, I screened and recruited around 300 participants to multiple clinical studies, which leveraged the emergency room as a lens by which to understand the broader distribution of health resources for certain populations like non-English speakers or pediatric psychiatric patients.
Aug 24 - May 25
We used GROMACS to run molecular dynamics simulations on the redox opening of the GABAA receptor UNC49 by oxidation of Cys238. The trajectories were analyzed with MDAnalysis. We developed an algorithm to group the pentameric protein correctly in the tilted triclinic box, and characterized multiple geometrics and energetics properties relevant to the description of channel opening.
Jan 24 - May 24
We characterized residue crypticity, a solvent exposure dynamics property, across all deposited structures in the PDB. We explored the correlations of crypticity with features like post-translational modifications, and explored protein domains with varying residue dynamics. Later in my AI for Chemistry course, we developed a transformer encoder & random forest classifier for crypticity prediction.
As the final project for the course Geometric Computing in Biomedicine, I built a website for segmenting neuron somas from 2pFLIM images, implementing classical geometric algorithms including morphological operations, marching squares contouring, PCA and SVD-ICP alignment and Laplacian deformation.
In the course Computational Problem Solving in the Chemical Sciences, I implemented the Monte Carlo Metropolis algorithm on a grand canonical ensemble to analyze surface adsorption in Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis, and performed coarse-grain MD simulation to characterize the phase transition of a polymer chain.
I completed a series of full-stack web applications for the course Rapid Prototype Development and Creative Programming, which were hosted on Amazon AWS. The final project became the basis for the partition site for Okeeheelee Park South, Florida, a mission near and dear to the heart of my lab mentor Tasman.
May 24 - Aug 25
I fed and cared for injured birds of prey and helped with site maintenance.
Aug 24 - Aug 25
I coordinated with nurses for family visits, registered and discharged patients.
May 24 - Aug 24
I shadowed physicians of the Emergency Department.
Aug 23 - Present
I am the QW committee co-chair at WashU Stem Education Association (WUSEA), where we host an annual chemistry tournament (WUCT) for high-school students. It's harder than you'd think to write chemistry questions that are both approachable and challenging!
I'm a nature enthusiast crazy for all kinds of critters and have been an aquarist for over 10 years! I am dedicated to demystifying the "just-do-it-like-this-and-everything-will-be-fine"s in this hobby from a scientific perspective: visit my blog website for useful tips and tools!
Australian Pitchers
Reef Tank
Texas Horned Lizard
Tropheus sp. 'black'
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