He received a B.S. degree from Nanjing University in 1995 and a Ph.D. degree in chemistry from UCSD in 2004. After three years of postdoctoral research at the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University, he joined the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis, USA as a biomedical engineering cluster hire in 2008. His current research focuses on the development of novel molecular imaging agents for early diagnosis of diseases and monitoring the efficacy of therapeutic intervention. Cai has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters. He has won many awards including the Society of Nuclear Medicine Young Professionals Committee Best Basic Science Award in 2007. He is currently on the Editorial Board of seven scientific journals and serves as a reviewer for many peer-reviewed journals and funding agencies.