[2] He is the current director (China affairs)[3] of the State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases University of Hong Kong.

[2] Focusing his research on influenza viruses throughout his career, Guan has identified all the major precursors and transmission pathways of the H5N1 variant that circulates in Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa and has provided most of the World Health Organization recommended pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccines strains.

beginning his career from 1983 to 1986 as resident doctor (teaching assistant) (department of paediatrics) at First Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi Medical College: Nanchang, CN.

He then moved to America between 1995 and 1997, where he completed his Ph.D. in the department of virology and molecular biology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: TN, Memphis, AM.

Guan Yi currently hold the position of chair professor in emerging viral diseases (school of public health) 2015 to present day.

[19] Guan's publication record contained in the United States National Institutes of Health PubMed database shows his having over 280 peer-reviewed articles with over 26,000 citations and an h-index of 79.