Biographic Sketch

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I was born in central China, a riverine town approximately one hour away by car from the Yangtzi River. I spent some years of my childhood in Guangzhou, southern China's largest metropolis. My home then was right at the footslope of Mt. Baiyun, a well-known scenic and recreational site, and I particularly enjoyed its natural beauty and a variety of outdoor activities including mountain climbing, hiking, fishing, geological exploration, and so on. Because of these experiences and also the influence from Li, Si-Guang, a pioneer of China's geological science, I developed a strong interest in earth sciences since childhood.

I received higher education from three different countries: China, Holland, and USA. I completed my undergraduate studies with major in Geological Science from the Wuhan College of Geology (later renamed into Chinese University of Geosciences-Wuhan) in 1986. My undergraduate thesis was on structural geology and sedimentology. Right after my graduation, I was admitted into the Master of Science in Paleontology and Stratigraphy Program, Beijing Graduate School, Wuhan College of Geology (later renamed into Chinese University of Geosciences-Beijing). My master's thesis was under the direction of the late Academician Prof. Hao, Yichun and Prof. Mao, Shaozhi. As part of my graduate research, I spent four months doing field work in the Taklamakan Desert, Xingjiang, China. After obtaining my first master's degree, I worked as a research scientist with the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Beijing, China.

In 1993, I went to the Netherlands to pursue my second master's degree in Applied Geomorphology at the International Institute for Aerospace Surveys and Earth Sciences-ITC. While at the ITC, I spent approximately one month conducting field surveys in Italy, as part of my remote sensing and applied geomorphological course work. In 1995, I moved to the United States, and pursued my Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. C. P. Lo. My doctoral dissertation examined urban growth and landscape change in the Atlanta metropolitan region through the integration of satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems, and dynamic spatial modeling.

I began my first academic position in USA with the University of West Florida, and after three years of teaching there, I moved to the Florida State University in Fall 2003. My tenured faculty status was granted on January 16,2007.

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Last update: Friday, September 18, 2009 4:25 AM