Kezhi Li

Dr. Kezhi (Ken) Li is an Associate Professor of AI in Healthcare at the Institute of Health Informatics, University College London (UCL). He leads the AI for Health research group and has established himself as a leading expert in applying artificial intelligence to solve complex problems in healthcare, with over 130 publications in leading journals (total impact factor greater than 400).

Dr. Li earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in 2013, followed by research positions at the Medical Research Council (2015-2017), University of Cambridge (2014-2015), and Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) (2013-2014). His academic journey reflects a consistent trajectory from technical AI research toward increasingly healthcare-focused applications.

Dr. Li's research focuses on solving physiological, medical, clinical, and operational problems in healthcare using AI techniques. His specific expertise includes AI in healthcare using electronic health records (EHR), biomedical time series analysis using monitors/wearables, diabetes management, large language models (LLM) in healthcare (especially mental health), patient flow optimization, and digital health with federated learning. His work bridges the gap between cutting-edge AI methodologies and practical healthcare applications, with a strong focus on improving patient outcomes and healthcare system efficiency.

Analysis of Dr. Li's publication history reveals a strong emphasis on diabetes management technologies, particularly blood glucose prediction systems using advanced neural network architectures. More recently, his work has expanded into mental health applications of large language models, blockchain-based federated learning for healthcare data, and mortality prediction in critical care settings. His research demonstrates a clear evolution from purely technical AI development toward increasingly clinically impactful applications, with growing emphasis on explainability, privacy preservation, and real-world implementation challenges.

Dr. Li has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his contributions to healthcare AI:

• Best Application Award of IEEE Global Blockchain Conference (2025)
• Fellow of British Computer Society (2025)
• Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (2024)
• Healthcare Partnership of the Year category at the London Higher Awards (2024)
• ECR Promising Project Award (2023)
• Gallivan Award finalists (2022)
• Stylianos Kalaitzis PhD Award Winner (2022)
• HDR UK Team of the Year (COVID-19) Award (2021)

As an educator, Dr. Li serves as the Director of MRes study (AI-enabled Healthcare Systems) at UCL. He leads multiple key modules including Healthcare Artificial Intelligence Journal Club, Dissertation in Artificial Intelligence Enabled Healthcare, and Advanced Machine Learning for Healthcare. His supervision extends across dissertation projects and junior researchers in his AI for Health group. His research has been supported by various grants, including those from HDR UK, focusing on translating AI innovations into practical healthcare solutions.

Dr. Li leads the AI for Health research group (https://ai4hucl.github.io/ai4h_webs/), which comprises researchers with diverse expertise in machine learning, healthcare systems, and clinical domains. The group maintains strong collaborations with healthcare providers and industry partners to ensure their research addresses real-world healthcare challenges and can be effectively translated into clinical practice.