In 1985, Dr. Cheng Li came to the United States where he received an M.A. in Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Political Science at Princeton University. He is currently the William R. Kenan Professor of Government at Hamilton College. In 2002-2003 he was a residential fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC.
Professor Li was a recipient of Hamilton College's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1993.