Dr. Yifan Li
Dr. Yifan Li is our co-founder and has served as our chief executive officer and director since our inception. Prior to co-founding Hesai, Dr. Li served as a principal engineer at Western Digital in Silicon Valley from 2013 to 2014. Dr. Li received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University in 2009, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, and a PhD degree in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013, with his research focused on robotics. Dr. Li’s numerous accolades include being named as Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40 in China,” MIT Technology Review’s “2020 Innovators Under 35 of China,” and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum for the Class of 2021.