Yonghui Li
Associate Professor
Graduate Program Director
Wheat Quality Lab Director
14 Waters Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-4061
785-532-7010（Fax）
yonghui@ksu.edu
Area(s) of Specialization
- Grain Protein Chemistry and Applications.
- Bioactive Compounds and Peptides.
- Bakery Science and Chemistry.
- Applied AI and Machine Learning.
Bio Brief
Dr. Yonghui Li is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Grain Science and Industry at Kansas State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and master’s degree in Biosystem Engineering from Zhejiang University, China, and his Ph.D. in Grain Science, K-State. His research focuses on understanding the structure, chemistry, modification and functionality of grain proteins and bioactive peptides with the aim of developing high-quality, functional grain-based foods, ingredients and nutraceuticals.
He and his team employ and integrate wet chemistry, engineering principles, computational simulation, and applied machine learning to deepen the knowledge and advance the research on proteins and peptides. Since joining the faculty in 2016, Li has secured over $4.5 million in research funding as the lead PI and $1.9 million as co-PI from sources such as the USDA, NSF, Kansas Grain Commissions and the grain and food industries. He has co-developed and contributed to the release of seven wheat varieties as the KSU Wheat Quality Lab Director.
Li has published more than 160 journal articles and three patents and edited three books. He is an associate editor for Journal of Food Science (IFT, since 2023), Cereal Chemistry (Cereals & Grains Association, since 2023), and Sustainable Food Proteins (AOCS, since 2025), and serves on the editorial boards of multiple international journals.
Classes Currently Taught:
- GRSC 405 – Grain Analysis Techniques.
- GRSC 850 – Grain Protein Chemistry & Technology.
- GRSC 920 – Graduate Seminar.