Zongbo Shi started his career as a geologist, gaining BA degree at Anhui University of Science and Technology, China. After studied for one and half years in Sedimentology in China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), he was directly enrolled as a PhD student for his outstanding academic performance. During his PhD work, he investigated physicochemical properties and bioreactivity of urban aerosols and dust in Beijing. He then went to Tsinghua University working on fog and haze processing of primary particles (e.g., vehicle exhaust particles) and the sources of urban aerosols in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Ningbo.