He received the BSc(Hons) degree in 1989 from the University of Newcastle (Australia). In 1990, he joined the Centre for Lasers and Applications at Macquarie University to undertake research toward the PhD degree. In 1995, he joined the Laser Photonics Group at the University of Manchester and initiated the research there into high power fibre lasers. Later in 1999, he returned to Australia and joined the Optical Fibre Technology Centre