Li Cai (psychometrician)

Li Cai
Native name	蔡力
Born	c. 1980 (age 36–37) Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Fields	Statistics Psychometrics
Institutions	UCLA CRESST
Alma mater	Nanjing University Ohio State University University of North Carolina
Thesis	A Metropolis–Hastings Robbins–Monro algorithm for maximum likelihood nonlinear latent structure analysis with a comprehensive measurement model
Doctoral advisor	David Thissen
Known for	Invention and proof of correctness of a solution for latent variable models that were considered intractable
Notable awards	AERA Outstanding Quantitative Dissertation (2009) NCME Brenda H. Loyd Award (2009) APA Anne Anastasi Distinguished Early Career Award (2011) SMEP Cattell Award (2012) NSF PECASE (2012) FABBS Early Career Impact Award (2015)

Li Cai (Chinese: 蔡力; pinyin: Cài Lì; born c. 1980) is a statistician and quantitative psychologist. He is a professor of Advanced Quantitative Methodology at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies with a joint appointment in the quantitative area of the UCLA Department of Psychology. He is also Director of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, Managing Partner at Vector Psychometric Group, and a faculty affiliate with the Center for Health Statistics at the University of Chicago as well as the Institute of Educational Measurement and Statistics at Beijing Normal University.

He invented the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm for inference in high-dimensional latent variable models that had been intractable with existing solutions. The algorithm was recognized as a mathematically rigorous breakthrough in the "curse of dimensionality" and garnered numerous top-tier publications and national awards.