Gordon Li Lab Members

Gordon Li, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery

Gordon Li graduated from Brown University with honors in neuroscience and received his MD at UC Davis School of Medicine.  He completed his neurosurgical residency at Stanford University School of Medicine and was hired on to help build the brain tumor center at Stanford University School of Medicine.  His clinical interests include improving surgical techniques for brain tumor surgery, immunotherapy for the treatment of brain cancer, and novel uses for stereotactic radiosurgery.  His research laboratory studies the biology of brain tumors with the goal of developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of malignant brain tumors and translating that research into clinical trials.

Ryan Nitta, PhD

Dr. Ryan Nitta attended Grinnell College where he was awarded the Benjamin F. Graham Jr. Scholarship given to the top biology student of year and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. He later conducted his graduate work at the University of Washington with Dr. Brian Kennedy studying the role of A-type lamins in gene regulation and disease. Upon receiving his Ph.D. he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University with Dr. Albert Wong in the Neurosurgery department. His work focused on studying novel kinase pathways involved in brain and non-small cell lung cancers. He continued his postdoctoral studies at the Geron Corporation elucidating the molecular mechanisms of the telomerase inhibitor, imetelstat. Currently he is a Research Associate/laboratory manager in Dr. Gordon Li’s laboratory. His current projects include studying the role of casein kinase 2 alpha in glial cancer stem cell maintenance and studying novel therapeutic targets in glioblastoma.  In his spare time he enjoys white water rafting, participating in outdoor adventures and playing fantasy football.  

Maya Agarwal

Maya Agarwal graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in South and Southeast Asian Studies, complemented with a multidisciplinary training in Science, Math, and Economics. While at Berkeley, she was also a two-time recipient of The Leadership Award scholarship of the Cal Alumni Association.  Maya has been conducting neurosurgery research since 2007 when she designed an award-winning research project on the cost-effectiveness of alternative treatments for positional plagiocephaly at Johns Hopkins Hospital under the mentorship of Dr. George Jallo.  Maya began working at Stanford in her third year at Berkeley and is pursuing her interests in neurosurgery as a Research Assistant at the Li Lab in preparation for attending medical school.  Her current project with Dr. Gordon Li involves studying the tumor suppressive abilities of chromatin remodeling protein, ikaros, in glioblastoma multiforme.  In her spare time, Maya enjoys practicing yoga, competing in her fantasy football leagues, and scuba diving.  

Timothy Bui

Timothy Bui is a 4th year undergraduate at Stanford University pursuing a degree in Biology with a field of study in Neurobiology. He has been working in the Gordon Li lab since his 2nd year. In the summer of 2013 he was awarded the Major Research Grant to study the therapeutic potential of reducing gamma-glutamyl transferase 7 in immortalized glioblastoma cell lines. He is continuing his research elucidating the tumor suppressing abilities of this novel gene in his senior year. He plans on going to medical school after he finishes his undergraduate career. In his spare time, he likes to keep physically active, as well as play fantasy football.