Xiufeng Li outdoors in front of a mountain landscape
Xiufeng Li / AssumeAssume

About

I’m currently a postdoctoral fellow jointly affiliated with the VIB Center for AI & Computational Biology and KU Leuven, working with Dr. Stein Aerts on gene regulation, enhancers, and interpretable AI.

Before moving to Leuven, I did my PhD in Bioinformatics at Tsinghua University with Dr. Nian Liu, studying LINE-1-mediated gene regulation and hypertranscription. Earlier, I earned my bachelor’s degree at Dalian University of Technology and completed my undergraduate thesis at the Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with Dr. Mingkun Li on lung microbiome analysis.

Outside the lab, I swim freestyle, play Dota/Dota 2 (17 years and counting), and sing. I was a tenor in my university choir. I also love watching TV series, especially Better Call Saul. Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the city I’d most like to visit.

The full academic path → CV

Recent updates

Selected work

Questions, discoveries, and my part in them.

2024 / Nature GeneticsCo-first author

When mobile DNA talks to distant genes

Can a transposable element influence genes at a distance?

Conceptual mechanism: LINE-1 transcription promotes long-range chromatin contacts and distal gene activation.
Active LINE-1 elements can help regulate genes at a distance.

Active LINE-1 elements promote long-range chromatin contacts and distal gene activation, including during zygotic genome activation.

My part. I led the computational and conceptual development, integrating genomic analyses into the mechanistic framework.

Keywords
  • LINE-1 regulation
  • 3D genomics
  • Zygotic genome activation
Paper Code BibTeX
Publication details

LINE-1 transcription activates long-range gene expression

Xiufeng Li*, Luyao Bie*, Yang Wang*, Yaqiang Hong*, et al.

Nature Genetics · 2024 · DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01789-5

2025 / Trends in GeneticsFirst author · Cover article

A wider view of LINE-1

How is LINE-1 regulated, and what does it do in the human genome?

Trends in Genetics July 2025 cover showing a genomic landscape through the Great Wall
July 2025 cover · Cell Press

A synthesis of LINE-1 regulation and its roles in genome organization, development and disease.

My part. I conceived and wrote the review, synthesized the literature, and developed its conceptual framework and figures.

Keywords
  • LINE-1 regulation
  • Chromatin organization
  • Development
Paper BibTeX
Publication details

Advances in understanding LINE-1 regulation and function in the human genome

Xiufeng Li, Nian Liu

Trends in Genetics · 2025 · DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2025.04.011

2026 / CellCo-first author

Keeping hypertranscription in check

How do highly active genes stay under control?

Conceptual mechanism: ANKRD11 condensates restrain excessive transcription at hypertranscribed genes while allowing ongoing gene expression.
ANKRD11 condensates restrain transcription elongation at hypertranscribed genes, helping safeguard development.

ANKRD11 condensates restrain hypertranscribed regions and safeguard transcriptional control during development.

My part. I co-conceived the study, led computational and integrative analyses, and developed the hypertranscribed-gene framework.

Keywords
  • Hypertranscription
  • Biomolecular condensates
  • Developmental disorders
Paper BibTeX
Publication details

Condensates of the chromatin regulator ANKRD11 restrict hypertranscribed genes to safeguard development

Tao Zhang*, Xiufeng Li*, Wei Zhou, et al.

Cell · 2026 · DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.07.006

Research & conversations.

Find my papers, code, and professional profile.

Curriculum vitae →