Professor Shan Li has been selected to receive the Outstanding Early Career Researcher Award from the Technology, Instruction, Cognition & Learning (TICL) Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Li is an assistant professor, department of community and global health in the College of Health, as well as an affiliated faculty member in the Teaching, Learning and Technology program in the College of Education. With this honor, Li receives international recognition for his research integrating artificial intelligence and advanced learning technologies to promote health literacy.
As a learning scientist and educational technologist, he uses advanced technologies to promote learning and instruction, and uncover behavior or cognitive processes in problem solving. Li, who holds a PhD in Learning Sciences from McGill University, previously designed a clinical simulation platform that allowed medical students to practice clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills in a safe environment.
The AERA is the largest and most prominent educational research association, attracting more than 15,000-20,000 attendees each year, Li said. The Outstanding Early Career Researcher Award recognizes outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career, less than 5 years from receiving their doctoral degree, for scholarship in the intersection of technology, instruction, cognition and learning. Li will receive this prestigious award at the AERA 2025 Annual Meeting this April in Denver.
“Shan’s outstanding research exemplifies the mission of the College of Health—to prevent disease and improve health outcomes, primarily focusing on upstream causes of health and wellness and integrating technology in novel ways,” said Beth Dolan, dean of the College of Health. “Shan is a highly productive and innovative researcher whose research contributes to human health and thriving. We are incredibly proud of him and congratulate him on this accomplishment.”
“The faculty in Community and Global Health are thrilled but not at all surprised that Shan is receiving such a prestigious award for his research,” added Tracy Nichols, chair of the COH’s department of community and global health. “His work designing technology-rich learning environments, like Healthy Choice, is of exceptionally high quality, ground-breaking and critically important to both the disciplines of education and population health. Shan is a dedicated teacher and brings his passion for elevating the learning environment to all that he does.”
“Shan's work is a great example of the interdisciplinary research taking place across colleges at Lehigh,” said Robin Hojnoski, dean of the College of Education. “He brings invaluable experience to the courses he teaches and is able to bring content to life by sharing examples from his own extensive research. We are proud to count Shan among our faculty and congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”
“Shan's work across the contexts of the College of Education and the College of Health is groundbreaking,” shared Dr. Thomas C. Hammond, associate professor, College of Education and program director, Teaching, Learning and Technology Program. “He has an incredible set of skills, not just in research but also with design and development, behavioral and physiological analytics, advancing theory and more. Thanks to his extensive curiosity, he can bring these skills into wide-ranging contexts: social annotation, nutritional decision-making, intelligent tutoring systems, clinical reasoning—his work seemingly has no boundaries! He is also a very dedicated and caring teacher, and a wonderful colleague. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with him.”
Li’s current research focus aligns with the award’s themes of technology, instruction, cognition and learning. “Healthy Choice” is an innovative computer simulation platform designed to enhance nutrition literacy through interactive, scenario-based learning experiences. The platform integrates advanced AI support and evidence-based pedagogical approaches to help learners make the best choice when comparing brands in the supermarket.
According to Li, the award is “a perfect match for my research, and I’m also very honored to receive this recognition.”
