He previously served as a Lecturer in the program of international studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He has a B.A. degree in political science and economics from Xiamen University and an M.A. degree in political science from Fudan University. He received his Ph.D. in comparative politics and China studies at Leiden University. He was an academic visitor at the University of Oxford and National Taiwan University. His research interests include comparative political institutions, political representation, election studies, political innovation, local politics and governance, and regionalism. His works appear in Journal of Contemporary China, China Information, and etc.