He is also currently a Deputy Editor of Demography. He received a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Demography from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a M.S. degree in Environmental Policy from Michigan Technological University. His program of research is in environmental and spatial demography, examining the interactions between the human population and the built and natural environments in the U.S., China, and Central Asia by building upon his methodological strengths in computational and spatial analysis. His research has been supported by NSF, NIH, NASA, and USDOT. He has published about 40 articles in internationally prestigious journals. His research on gasoline prices and traffic safety has been highlighted more than 2,000 times by various news media outlets.