Dr. Beryl Li

Ph. D., Merck, South San Francisco, CA, 2022

Beryl grew up between Beijing, Vancouver, and Santa Rosa, California, before attending UC Berkeley to pursue her undergraduate degree in chemical biology. At Cal, she worked on the total synthesis of C19 diterpenoid alkaloids in the lab of Professor Richmond Sarpong. She then worked in Genentech’s process chemistry department, where she focused on methodologies to synthesize tetrasubstituted all-carbon olefins (TACOs). After Genentech, Beryl ventured out to the east coast for the first time in her life, and joined the MacMillan lab at Princeton. Outside of lab, Beryl enjoys exploring good food, visiting museums, watching movies, and the occasional puzzle hunt.

Fun Facts

• Beryl’s Engel coefficient remains absurdly high no matter how much she makes or where she lives.
• Beryl loves to feed the lab with baked goods, feedback on flavor is always appreciated!
• Ask about the dress-code at the lab’s annual Halloween party at Beryl’s house.