In 2005, Wen Li received her B.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Science and Technology of China. In 2007 and 2010, she got her M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her Ph.D. she remained at the University of California, Los Angeles as an associate researcher until she moved to Boston University in 2016.