Nan Li obtained his bachelor's degree in chemical biology from Xiamen University and a master's and doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. He developed a chemical proteomics approach as a comprehensive way of quantifying the activity of different subunits of the proteasome in complex biological systems and is published in Nature Protocols. The method is widely used by more than ten laboratories all over the world for the screening of novel proteasome inhibitor drugs and is collected as a chapter in the textbook Concept and Case Studies in Chemical Biology. Nowadays, his team is focusing on the development and application of new methodology using innovative chemical proteomics technology, to address questions from fundamental biological research and biotech industry.