Yang LI joined the Center for International Development's Growth Lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2019.

His research focuses on the patterns, processes, and sustainability of industrial development in cities. By integrating the view of economic complexity and industrial ecology, he aims to understand the diversification of industries in cities, measure the environmental impact of diversification through changes of material and energy flows, and investigate the sustainable pathways of industrial development, especially for cities in developing countries.

He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering (2019) and a Bachelor degree in Environmental Engineering (2012), both from Tsinghua University, China.