He earned his Bachelor of Arts in economics in Beijing, and obtained his master degree in social sciences in Hong Kong. He was awarded a PhD of public policy at George Mason University in 2012. His research interest includes skilled migration, international migration, and other demographic issues. He is writing an academic book on "brain drain", or skilled emigration now. He teaches policy analysis to international graduate students and migration theories to undergraduate students. He is also a noted social commentator on Chinese media. He can be reached at tianfm@bnu.edu.cn (email) or 86-136-7136-0416 (mobile phone).