Before joining MU, he was an associate professor at Mississippi State University. He conducts research in guidance, control and estimation of aerospace systems such as spacecraft, missile, launch vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as robotic systems. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. Dr. Xin was the recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER Award. He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, a Senior Member of IEEE and AAS, and a member of ASME. He serves in AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics technical committee. He is an Associate Editor for AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets and ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control.