The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) is home to world-class environmental engineering and energy research – and that expertise carries over into real-world applications through the work of successful alumni like Yige Li, class of 2019. Li, 26, has been named a top entrepreneur in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 in the energy category and joins a decade-long cohort of 6,000 “young innovators on the verge of making it big.” 

Li is the founder of IQHi, a lithium ion battery analytics software company working to accelerate automobile electrification and help the world achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions. The startup intends to offer its software as a service. IQHi was successfully accepted into the University of California Irvine Wayfinder Incubator Program, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and Berkeley Skydeck Pad 13 program.

To date, three BCOE alumni have made the Forbes list, all in the energy category: Li, Charles Cai, co-founder of MG Fuels reduces the amount of enzymes used to breakdown biomass to make ethanol, and Ravi Kurani, whose startup Sutro monitors the health of swimming pools and automates its maintenance to save chemicals, water and energy.  

Li earned a doctoral degree and master’s degree in Materials Engineering from the University of California, Riverside, and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics/Applied Physics from Central South University.