My Journey
I am thankful for having this life, the opportunity to create the unique version of myself.
Pre '00
Shanxi, China
I grew up in Shenchi, a small and remote town in northern China where the elevation climbs to 5,000 feet. It was there, tucked between mountain ridges and long winters, that I first fell in love with science. My dad gave me a copy of One Hundred Thousand Whys (“十万个为什么” in Chinese) when I was 9 years old. I was hooked, and I knew then I wanted to be a scientist.
Curiosity led me through my early years of schools. I spent all the middle school years on studying for the chance to enter the only notable high school in the region. I still recall the icy road to school under moon light in the early morning.
High school was rather an enjoyment. Independence and sports spoiled the "short" three years. And I turned from an introvert to an extrovert.
'00-'09
Beijing, China
The summer in 2000, I started my college years in Beijing with part excitement and part struggle. From rural China to mega city was a total eye opener to me. I managed to earn a B.S. in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutics. But I was not a fan of animal experiments.
Later 2004, I shifted major and spent 5 years for a Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry where I worked with Professors Yuliang Li and Daoben Zhu.
The 9 years in Beijing made it my second hometown.
'09-'19
California, U.S.
I stepped on U.S. soil for the first time in late 2009 and joined Professor Guillermo C. Bazan’s group at UC Santa Barbara as a postdoc and later stayed on and helped manag the group and coordinating research collaborations.
During this time, I started enjoying photography and writing stories under the Out & Seen umbrella.
It was a turbulent time between 2015 and 2019. I led technology development at two different startups. I held an adjuct position at UCLA. I served on the Editorial Board of an Elsevier journal. I founded a whosale ecommerce company and closed it. I co-founded NovaTeq Solutions with two friends. And most importantly, my daughter was born.
'19-'25
California, U.S.
NovaTeq started to gain some momentum entering 2019. I was invited to join UC Irvine to lead a materials analysis lab. It was a turning point.
My work at UC Irvine and NovaTeq both thrived during the 2020-2022 pandemic. It has been a revelation on both personal and professional levels.
After over a year of failed attempt in education consulting, in early 2025, I started TEMPR Learning—a non-profit collborative platform—to help bridge the gap of academia and industrial career. I am bringing my passion in teaching and helping together to build a community.
'25 on
Somewhere
What's next?
My learning and work taught me about the commitment to improving the quality of life and our environment.
I want to keep learning. I want to do something new in science. I want to help people. I want to visit more places. I want to write more stories.
I am optimistic of the future wonders and the journey ahead.