- Born in Shimian, Sichuan, China ---- a beautiful city by the Dadu River and near Mt. Gongga 
  (Minya Gonkar), Himalayas.

- B. Sc., Lanzhou University, China, majored in Botany.

- M. Sc., Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.

- Associate Prof., Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu,      
  China, May 1995 - July 1997.   

- DAAD Fellow and Ph.D. study, with Prof. J. W. Kadereit, Institut fuer Spezielle Botanik,
  University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany, October 1997 - April 2002.

- Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Missouri-St. Louis, with Dr. Susanne Renner, June 2002 - 
  May 2003.

- Post-doctoral Fellow, Colorado State University, with Dr. Mark P. Simmons, June 2003 -
  March 2005.

- Post-doctoral Fellow, Brigham Young University, with Dr. Leigh Johnson, April 2005 -
  May 2005.

- Assistant Curator, Missouri Botanical Garden, since June 2006.