Dr. Yulong Li obtained his BS  degree from the School of Life Sciences of Peking University and PhD in  Neurobiology from Duke University (PhD advisor, George Augustine). He then  conducted his postdoctoral research at Stanford University with Dr. Richard Tsien.  Now, he is a principal investigator at the School of Life Sciences of Peking  University, Peking University-Tsinghua University Center for Life Sciences  and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU. His group's research  centers on "synapse", the fundamental unit for the communication  between neurons, carrying two layers of research: first, developing cutting  edge research tools, namely advanced imaging probes, to untangle the  complexity of nervous system in space and in time; second, capitalizing on  the advancement of research toolkits, his group study the regulation of  synaptic transmission, focusing on the neuromodulator’s role in health (e.g.  sleep) and in disease conditions (e.g. neurodegenerative disease). His group  is also interested in studying function of orphan GPCRs. Recently, his group  pioneered the development and application of GPCR-based genetically-encoded  fluorescent sensors, capable of detecting the release of dopamine,  acetylcholine and norepinephrine with high spatial and temporal resolution in  physiological and pathological conditions, which published in Cell, Nature  Biotechnology and Neuron respectively. His group has further expanded this  strategy to develop sensors for the entire range of known neurotransmitters  and neuromodulators. His group also identified a novel bile acid receptor  underlying chronic itch in liver diseases.