He obtained his Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, and conducted his research at DRRC in the academic year of 2014-2015. Li Ma studies negotiations both in the lab and the field. In the lab, he studies how power manifestations of alternatives and status influence the American and Chinese negotiators' behaviors. In the field, he studied the iron ore negotiations and the international acquisitions. His work was published in Journal of International Business Studies, Leadership Quarterly, Human Relations, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Business Ethics, among others.