Hai Li
Also known as Helen Li
Hai "Helen" Li is a Duke University professor whose work on neuromorphic computing and deep-learning acceleration earned her IEEE and ACM fellowships. She earned a Ph.D. at Purdue University in 2004 and worked on memory technology at Qualcomm, Intel and Seagate before returning to academia in 2009. She joined Duke University in 2017 as a Clare Boothe Luce associate professor and became chair of its electrical and computer engineering department in 2022. She won the 2025 McCluskey Technical Achievement Award. As of October 2026, she is chair of Duke's electrical and computer engineering department and the Marie Foote Reel E'46 Distinguished Professor.
- Now at
- Duke University
- Works
- 621
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.
Timeline
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1998–2004
From Tsinghua to Purdue
At Tsinghua University she earns bachelor's and master's degrees in 1998 and 2000, and at Purdue University she completes her Ph.D. in 2004.
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By 2009
Memory research in industry
In industry she works on memory technology at Qualcomm, Intel and Seagate before returning to academia in 2009.
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2009–2012
A post at NYU Tandon
Her next post is at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering in 2009, and she moves to the University of Pittsburgh in 2012.
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2017
Joining Duke University
Duke University becomes her academic home in 2017 as a Clare Boothe Luce associate professor.
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2018–2021
Fellow of IEEE and ACM
IEEE names her a Fellow in 2018 for contributions to neuromorphic computing systems. ACM names her a Fellow in 2021 for contributions to neuromorphic computing and deep-learning acceleration.
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2022
Taking the department chair
She takes the chair of Duke's Electrical and Computer Engineering department in 2022.
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2025
The McCluskey Technical Achievement Award
The 2025 Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award goes to her for her work in neuromorphic computing and deep-learning acceleration.
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As of October 2026
Chair and Distinguished Professor
She is chair of Duke's Electrical and Computer Engineering department and the Marie Foote Reel E'46 Distinguished Professor.
Sources and credits
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