Wenwei Li
Contact Information
wenwei.li@wisc.edu
6451 WI Institute for Medical Research
Madison, WI 53715
Education
BS, 2004, Biology, Wuhan University, China
PhD, 2011, Developmental Biology, Wuhan University, China
Postdoctoral Research, 2015, Tumor Virology, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Associate Research Scientist, 2026, Structural Biology and Virology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Title
Assistant Professor of Oncology
Research Description
Our laboratory investigates the molecular and structural mechanisms of virus–host interactions, with a particular focus on how viruses recognize and enter host cells. We combine virology and structural biology with advanced imaging approaches, including cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM), cryo-electron tomography (cryoET), and in situ cryo-FIB/ET, as well as complementary biochemical and computational approaches, to visualize viral infection processes in native cellular environments. Our research focuses on HIV and oncogenic viruses, including KSHV, EBV, HPV, HBV, and HTLV-1. We seek to understand how viral surface proteins interact with host factors and dynamically reorganize during receptor engagement, entry, and immune recognition, and how these processes shape viral cell and tissue tropism. By revealing these mechanisms at the molecular level, we aim to uncover fundamental principles of viral infection and provide a structural and mechanistic foundation for developing new antiviral and immunotherapeutic strategies