He graduated with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Biology from NUS. He did his postdoctoral studies in Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Pennsylvania Medical School and returned to NUS as a Lee Kuan Yew Postdoctoral Fellow and later joined his alma mater department as an Asst Professor in 2010. He has contributed to diverse topics spanning from chemical synthesis to sensor development; nanosafety to nanomedicine topics.