Dr Song's primary research and teaching areas are refugee law and migration law. During her time in Amsterdam, she plans to continue her research on the prohibition of refoulement to Torture, as well as Taiwan and the international refugee protection regime.

Prior to joining the University of Otago, Lili taught at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu. She has held research or visiting positions at Harvard University, Oxford University, University of Michigan, the East-West Center (Honolulu), Melbourne University, the Australian National University, Chiang Mai University, the Humanities Institute (Myanmar), and Northwestern University (US). Most recently, she was a fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Feb-May 2026 in Taipei.