He obtained his B.E. (1982) and M.E. (1984) degrees in Material Engineering at Chongqing University and a Ph.D. degree (1994) in Department of Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University. Prior to his appointment to this department in 1996, he had been an NSERC postdoctoral fellow for two years. He is a member of Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering (CSChE), Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA), Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), and Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), and a registered engineer in Ontario.