He received a B.S. degree in agronomy from Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China, and an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. He conducted postdoctoral research in molecular cell and developmental biology at the Ohio State University. His research interests include nitrogen metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, nodule organogenesis, cell division and cytokinesis, flower and seed development, stress tolerance, and cell wall biosynthesis. His recent work has focused on callose biosynthesis, nodule development, and grain quality improvement. Model plants including Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse-ear cress), Oryza sativa (rice), and Lotus japonicus, as well as other agriculture relevant crops such as wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) are used in the Hong Laboratory.