Zhichao Li graduated from Peking University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Physics. He joined the applied physics Ph.D. program at Rice in Fall 2020, and graduated from the Naik lab in 2025. His thesis, titled "Non-Hermitian Plasmonic-Photonic Hybrids: Advancing Sensing and Photocatalysis for Real-World Applications," utilized exceptional points in plasmon-photonic hybrids to develop nanophotonic sensors. 

Zhichao will pursue postdoctoral research in the groups of Chih-Hao Chang and Michael Cullinan at the University of Texas at Austin.

In his free time, he likes to jump ropes, and plays badminton and table tennis. He can play erhu and could sing tenor in a chorus.