He obtained both his BSc and MSc in Marine biology from Xiamen University, China and his PhD from the University of Wales, Bangor, UK. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Kyoto University and at Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute, Nagasaki, Japan.To date, he has published more than90 publications, of which 83 are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He is on the editorial boards of several international journals and has been invited to review grant applications for a number of international funding agencies. He is currently also appointed as a visiting chair professor at Xiamen University, China and as an adjunct professor at Shanghai Ocean University, China.