Dr. Jie Li is currently an tenured Associate Professor at the Vascular Biology Center at Augusta University. Her research interest is to understand how to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases. Maintenance of a functional proteome is integral to cardiovascular system function and survival. Ubiquitin (Ub) and ubiquitin-like (Ubl) proteins are crucial regulators of protein quality and function through post-translational modification of their diverse substrates. To date, how Ub and Ubl-mediated PTMs control the function and survival of cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and smooth muscles , or how dysregulation of such PTMs contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases remains poorly understood. My research aims to understand the molecular basis by which Ub and Ubls regulate the structure and function of cardiovascular system, and ultimately to uncover novel therapeutic targets and strategies to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.