Zhu Li

Zhu Li is a full professor at the Department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering (CSEE) at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC), and director of the NSF Center for Big Learning (CBL). He holds a PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Northwestern University (2004). Previously, he served as an AFRL summer visiting professor at the US Air Force Academy (2016-18, 2020-24), Senior Staff Researcher at Samsung Research America and FutureWei Technology, and Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

His research focuses on point cloud and light field compression, deep learning for visual compression, remote sensing, and multimedia systems. Key achievements include 50+ patents and 200+ publications. He is an IEEE Senior Member and serves as Associate Editor-in-Chief for IEEE Trans on Circuits & System for Video Technology, and Associate Editor for IEEE Trans on Image Processing and others.

Notable awards include the Best Paper Runner-up at PBVS 2023, Best Poster at ICME 2006, and Best Paper at ICIP 2007. His lab has secured grants from NSF, AFRL, and industry partners, advancing research in neural compaction, SAR image processing, and immersive media communication.

• Education: PhD in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Northwestern University (2004)
• Affiliations: NSF I/UCRC Center for Big Learning (Director), IEEE (Senior Member)
• Grants: NSF Trustee's N.T. Veatch Award (2025), AFRL Phase 2 STTR ($1.2M), NSF 5G/6G Networks Grant (2022)
• Labs/Teams: Multimedia Computing & Communication Lab, MCC Lab collaborating with global institutions