Less than a year in, Fan Li, PhD, has created two new courses in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and served as a student advisor to computer science students.
Li earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Shandong Technology and Business University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, both in electrical engineering. While pursuing her PhD from Louisiana Tech University in computational analysis and modeling, she also earned a Master of Science degree in mathematics. Following her postdoctoral year at Louisiana Tech, where she taught college algebra and wireless and mobile security, she joined Lawrence Technological University in August 2024, but this time, on a tenure track.
Li created and taught introduction to distributed computing and distributed consensus and blockchain. Distributed computing is the process of leveraging the power of multiple computers to run a single computational task together in a coordinated manner. The latter course teaches students the principle behind decentralized systems and how to achieve agreement across distributed networks.
Besides teaching and advising, she is researching distributed systems and machine learning applications, involving undergraduate and graduate students in this research. Li is presently applying to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for funding for distributed systems and machine learning research. This past semester, Li advised five computer science graduate students on their theses. Three of them conducted research in machine learning applications, focusing on distinct areas: breast cancer detection, cybersecurity, and cryptography. The remaining two worked on topics related to distributed systems and blockchain.
Meruyert Abdulayeva graduated with her Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) degree in May ‘25. Li was her advisor through Master Thesis 1 and Master Thesis 2. Abdulayeva is keenly interested in cryptography, “which aligns with Professor Li’s interests,” she said. Abdulayeva presented a poster titled “A Lightweight Cryptograph Algorithm with Neural Network,” representing her master’s thesis at LTU’s Research Day 2025. She said of Li, “Dr. Li is very strict in the best way. She challenged me to think critically. I appreciate how much I grew under her.”
Abdulayeva is from Kazakhstan. Through a memorandum of understanding with Astana IT University, LTU accepts students to complete their MSCS on campus. She’s already applied to LTU’s PhD program in computer science, and “if accepted, I would like to work with Dr. Li.
“I am grateful for the opportunity LTU gave me, and Dr. Li is an amazing advisor. I come from a humble background, and education has always been my way forward. Knowledge opens doors and gives people like me the opportunity to grow, contribute, and make a difference,” she said.
As for Li, “It’s great to be here! I found the whole college [of Arts and Sciences] very friendly, sweet, warm, and supportive. My department colleagues in math and computer science are very supportive, and they really care about me.”
By: Renée Ahee
