He received his Bachelor degree in Chemistry from Wuhan University, China in 1982, Master degree in Chemistry from University of Texas at El Paso in 1989, and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Houston in 1993. He received his postdoctoral training in bacterial pathogenesis at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH. He conducts research on bacteriology, bacterial pathogenesis, and pathogen-host interactions. He is an academic editor of PLoS One and is on the editorial board of Infection and Immunity.