Dong Li

Dong Li is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Merced, where he directs the Parallel Architecture, System, and Algorithm Lab (PASA) and co-directs the High Performance Computing Systems and Architecture Group. He co-founded Yotta Labs Inc. and previously held research roles at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2011-2014) and a PhD from Virginia Tech.

Research Interests: Dong's work focuses on

• High performance computing (HPC)
• Memory heterogeneity and non-volatile memory
• Systems for machine learning and AI
• Fault tolerance in large-scale systems

His innovations include heterogeneous memory optimization for recommendation models and GNNs, CXL memory integration, and persistent memory debugging tools.

Recent Publications highlight advancements in

• CXL-based inter-node communication
• Memory tiering for laminography reconstruction
• ML-guided memory optimization for DLRM and GNN
• Fault tolerance benchmarks and error analysis

Awards & Recognition:

• NSF CAREER Award (2016)
• Oracle Research Award (2022)
• ASPLOS Distinguished Artifact Award (2021)
• Virginia Tech Early Career Alumni Award (2023)

Advising & Funding: Dong has mentored 22 students (8 PhD, 6 Master’s, 8 undergraduates) and secured grants from NSF, NVIDIA, Meta, and national labs (Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore). Collaborations include Microsoft (DeepSpeed, Intel PMDK), AMD, SK Hynix, and Intel/MICRON hardware donations.