He received his M.S. with a focus in Entomology from Hunan Agricultural University and his Ph.D from the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research interests include earthworms, ecological risk assessment, soil fauna, and ecotoxicology. He is a member of a number of societies including the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, the Chinese Ecological Society, and the American Ecological Society. Dr. Xiao has published over 40 papers.