Gu Li

Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Psychology
NYU Shanghai

Email: gu.li@nyu.edu

Gu Li is an Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow of Psychology at NYU Shanghai and a faculty affiliate in the NYU-ECNU Institute for Social Development at NYU Shanghai. Prior to joining NYU Shanghai, Li was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology and in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Li studies LGBTQ+ people—their mental health and development in diverse sociocultural contexts. He is interested in (1) designing psychological and social interventions to address pressing issues facing LGBTQ+ people, such as coming out and coping with stigma, prejudice, and victimization, especially in societies and cultures that uphold heteronormative values and fixed gender roles; (2) examining how sexual orientation unfolds with puberty, paying particular attention to sexual fluidity; and (3) exploring the relations between romantic love and sexual desire in young people. Li's work has appeared in leading academic journals such as Journal of Adolescent Health, Developmental Psychology, and Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Select Publications

  • Li, G. & Davis, J. T. M. (2019). Sexual experimentation in heterosexual, bisexual, lesbian/gay, and questioning adolescents from ages 11 to 15. Journal of Research on Adolescence. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12535
  • Russell, S. T., Pollitt, A. M., Li, G., & Grossman, A. H. (2018). Chosen name use is linked to reduced depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior among transgender youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(4), 503–505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.003
  • Li, G., Kung, K. T., & Hines, M. (2017). Childhood gender-typed behavior and adolescent sexual orientation: A longitudinal population-based study. Developmental Psychology, 53(4), 764–777. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000281
  • Li, G., & Hines, M. (2016). In search of emerging same-sex sexuality: Romantic attractions at age 13 years. Archives of sexual behavior, 45(7), 1839–1849. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0726-2
  • Li, G., Pollitt, A. M., & Russell, S. T. (2016). Depression and sexual orientation during young adulthood: Diversity among sexual minority subgroups and the role of gender nonconformity. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(3), 697–711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0515-3

Education

  • PhD, Psychology
    University of Cambridge
  • MS, Family Studies and Human Development
    University of Arizona