He was born in June 1956. He was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2013 and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) in 2015. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Executive Deputy Director of the Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS; and from 2001 to 2007, he held the position of Director of the same institute.

He has long been engaged in research on the basic developmental genetics and biotechnology related to fish genetic breeding. He has systematically studied the genetic basis and reproductive mechanism of polyploid crucian carp, and bred new crucian carp varieties with significant application value in aquaculture. He also pioneered a precise and efficient sex-controlled breeding technology route for rapidly identifying and cultivating all-male fish based on X and Y sex chromosome-linked markers.

To date, he has led or participated in the breeding of 4 new aquatic varieties, obtained 10 authorized invention patents, and published more than 460 research papers (including over 270 papers in SCI-indexed journals). He has also authored/co-authored 8 monographs and postgraduate textbooks, with his works cited more than 10,000 times. In particular, his book Aquaculture in China: Success Stories and Modern Trends, published by Willey Blackwell in 2018, is praised by international peers as a landmark aquaculture monograph in the new era, which "shows the world the main vitality of China, an outstanding aquaculture superpower".

He has supervised over 100 graduates, including doctoral and master’s degree recipients, as well as postdoctoral fellows who have completed their programs. Among his doctoral graduates, one won the CAS President’s Special Award and two won the CAS President’s Excellent Award.