Prof. Guijun (Mitch) Li
Associate Professor, Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD) & Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE), HKUST
Founding Associate Director, Center for Smart Manufacturing
An experimentalist in advanced manufacturing technologies, internationally recognized for pioneering laser-induced transfer printing and direct laser writing — the first scientist to develop scalable, industrial nanosecond-pulsed-laser transfer printing.
Research Overview
Prof. Mitch Guijun Li is an experimentalist in advanced manufacturing technologies, well known for his research on laser manufacturing. He is the first scientist to propose and develop laser-induced transfer printing using industrial nanosecond pulsed lasers for scalable production, and has demonstrated several vital applications of direct laser writing.
Highlights of his research performance include:
- World’s Top 2% of the Most-cited Scientists 2023 (Stanford University).
- Strong corresponding-author record in top journals — Advanced Materials, ACS Nano, Advanced Science, Nature Communications, Advanced Functional Materials.
- Young Scientist Award, 4th Optoelectronic Global Conference (IEEE Photonic Society).
His group focuses on laser-based scalable manufacturing of functional materials for energy, biomedical sensing, environmental, and food applications — bridging precision manufacturing with real-world translational impact.
At a Glance
Education & Research Themes
Education
Ph.D., Electrical & Electronic Engineering
B.Sc., Physics
Research Themes
Laser-induced Transfer Printing
Scalable, industrial nanosecond-pulsed-laser printing of functional materials.
Direct Laser Writing & LIG
Laser-induced graphene circuits and sensors for health & environmental monitoring.
3D Food Printing + AI
Generative-AI-designed, simultaneous cooking food fabrication.
Solar Steam & Desalination
Photothermal hygroscopic aerogels & solar-driven evaporative desalination.
Energy Materials
Single-step laser-printed 3D sulfur cathodes for Li–S batteries; clay-mineral cathodes.
Biomedical & Wearable Sensing
Electrical impedance tomography, non-invasive kidney/urea tele-monitoring, glucose detection.
Microrobotics & Smart Devices
Laser-scribed microheaters, autonomous insect control, origami Joule-heaters.
By the Numbers
Snapshot recorded 25 September 2026 (Google Scholar).
Selected Grants
Scalable manufacturing of antiviral self-cleaning surfaces against respiratory infectious diseases
Project CoordinatorPerformance control & microstructure analysis of clay-mineral cathode materials for Li–S batteries
Principal InvestigatorMass transportation & photothermal phenomena in laser-manufactured solar steam generators
Principal InvestigatorAwards & Recognitions
Excellent Young Scholar Award
Silver Medal
World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists
Emerging Investigator
Outstanding Reviewer
Young Scientist Award
Publons Peer Review Award — Top 1% reviewers
Flagship Publications
A curated selection of corresponding-author papers in top-tier journals (full list: 98 refereed papers).
R. Yang, Y. Chen, Y. Pan, M. Kim, H. Liu, K. W. Lee, Y. Huang, A. Tang, F. Tu, T. Li, G. Li* — “Single-Step Laser-Printed Integrated 3D Sulfur Cathode toward High-Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries.”
C. K. W. Lee, Y. Xu, Q. Yuan, Y. H. Chan, W. Y. Poon, H. Zhong, S. Chen, G. Li* — “Advanced 3D Food Printing with Simultaneous Cooking and Generative AI Design.”
Y. Chen, X. Lu, G. Ma, M. Kim, R. Yu, H. Zhong, Y. H. T. Chan, M. Tan, Y. Liu, G. Li* — “One-Step Laser-Guided Fabrication of 3D Self-Assembled Graphene Micro-Rolls.”
Y. Zhou, Z. Sun, …, G. Li, Z. Fan* — “An Ultra-Wide Field-of-View Pinhole Compound Eye using Hemispherical Nanowire Array for Robot Vision.”
H. Zhong, X. Lu, R. Yang, Y. Pan, J. Lin, M. Kim, S. Chen, G. Li* — “Seeing through Muddy Water: Laser-induced Graphene for Portable Tomography Imaging.”
Y. Pan, R. Yu, Y. Jiang, H. Zhong, Q. Yuan, C. K. W. Lee, R. Yang, S. Chen, Y. Chen, G. Li* — “Heterogeneous CuO Nano-Skeletons from Waste Electronics for Enhanced Glucose Detection.”
Y. Huang, H. Zhong, R. Yang, Y. Pan, J. Lin, C. K. W. Lee, S. Chen, M. Tan, X. Lu, W. Y. Poon, Q. Yuan, G. Li* — “Multifunctional Laser-induced Graphene Circuits … Non-Invasive Human Kidney Function Monitoring.”
P. You, G. Li, G. Tang, J. Cao, F. Yan* — “Ultrafast Laser-Annealing of Perovskite Films For Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells.”
H. Zhong, Z. Zhu, J. Lin, C. F. Cheung, V. L. Lu, F. Yan, C.-Y. Chan, G. Li* — “Reusable and Recyclable Graphene Masks with Outstanding Superhydrophobic and Photothermal Performances.”
G. Li* — “Direct Laser Writing of Graphene Electrodes.”
Teaching & Professional Service
Teaching at HKUST
Previously taught at PolyU: ISE3006, ISE373, ISE374, ISE2S02, ENG1003.
Service & Editorship
- Chair, IEEE Magnetic Society Hong Kong Chapter (2021–2023)
- Vice-Chair, IEEE HK Joint Chapter on Electron Devices & Solid-State Circuits (2020–2023)
- Senior Member, IEEE (2019–present)
- Associate Editor, IEEE Access (2019–present)
- Young Editorial Board Member, Nano-Micro Letters (2023–present)
- Session Chair — ASPEN 2023, HK Battery Symposium 2023, MMM/Intermag 2022
- Member, University Human & Artefacts Research Ethics Committee (HAREC), HKUST