Leonard Li (Shang'ao Li, 李尚敖)

Research Interests

I work on enhancing reasoning capabilities in AI systems through principled integration of symbolic and neural methods. My research explores how formal reasoning, neuro-symbolic architectures, and interactive verification can improve reliability and interpretability in language models and autonomous agents.

Keywords: Neuro-Symbolic AI · LLM Reasoning · Reinforcement Learning · Meta Learning · Continual Learning · Mechanics in AI/ML · Formal Verification · Interactive Agents

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, Stony Brook University
Aug 2026 - Present (Incoming)

B.Sc. in Information and Computing Sciences (Computer Science Track)
School of Computer Science, Nanjing University
Sept. 2022 - June 2026 · GPA: 4.60/5.00 (Rank: 3/25)

Research Experience

• Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich · Nov 2025 - Present
  Research Intern, Advisor: Dr. Yao Zhang
• KRistal Group, Nanjing University · Oct 2025 - Present
  Research Intern, Advisor: Prof. YiZheng Zhao
• Independent Research · Jul 2025 - Present
  Research Intern, Advisor: Dr. Zhen Han
• ScaleML Lab, UIUC · Apr - Jun 2025
  Research Intern, Advisor: Prof. Tong Zhang
• Huawei 2012 Labs · Jul - Sept 2025
  Research Intern, Supervisor: JianFeng Gui
• QUEST Lab, NC State University · Jul - Nov 2024
  Research Intern, Advisor: Prof. Yuan Liu

Selected Honors

• National Scholarship (Top 0.2% nationwide), Ministry of Education of China, 2025
• First Prize (National Champion), HITCTF 2025 Cybersecurity Competition
• National Third Prize, China Graduate Cybersecurity Innovation Competition, 2024
• Special Scholarship for Fundamental Subjects, First Prize (twice), 2022-2024
• Outstanding Student Model, Nanjing University, 2023-2024