He received a B.A in Environmental Chemistry at the University of California, San Diego. He then earned a M.S. and PhD. in physical chemistry also at the University of California, San Diego. He has taught geochemistry, environmental science, and oceanography at Purdue since 2005. He has taught isotope chemistry as a summer short course at Beijing Normal and China University of Geosciences, Beijing for the past two years. His research interests are Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry, Nitrogen Cycling in Aquatic and Soil Systems, Regional Air/Water Pollution, Mass-Independent Isotope Effects and their use in Paleoclimatology and Aerosol Chemistry, Isotope Effects in Gas Phase Reactions, Modeling Isotopes in Atmospheric Chemistry.