I graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1997 and joined the University of Georgia (UGA) to pursue my graduate degrees. I obtained my Ph.D. in cell biology in 2002 under the supervision of Dr. Edward Kipreos, and my M.S. in computer science in 2003 under the supervision of Dr. Robert Robinson. Afterwards, I became a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Paul Sternberg's lab at the Biology Division of California Institute of Technology. I was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice University in 2008.

In 2004, I was a recipient of the Robert C. Anderson Memorial Award for best research at the University of Georgia. In 2008, I was awarded an NIH Pathway to Independence award (K99). I was recently named a 2009 Searle Scholar.