He attended the Lycée Français in Vienna, Austria, the Colegio ECOS in Marbella, Spain, and Drew School in San Francisco, US as Valedictorian.

Subsequently he held a postdoctoral position with Ahmed Zewail at California Institute of Technology, after which he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1992.

A common theme of his research is the implementation of state-of-the-art laser and microscopy techniques to interrogate and manipulate complex systems, coupled with quantum or classical simulations.

He has published over 300 articles, books and patents on topics ranging from quantum computing, to RNA and protein folding in the test tube and inside cells, to fish swimming behavioral studies,[2] and ultra-distance cycling.

He has a strong interest in cycling, running, swimming and triathlon[27] and has competed in many long-distance events, such as the 2013 Boston Marathon,[28] the 2016 solo Race Across America,[29] the 2019 Badwater Ultramarathon,[30][31] the 1406 mile DECA 2022 World Championship ultratriathlon,[32] the 10 day non-stop run at "6 Days in the Dome" in 2024,[33] 15-IronmanTM-Distances-in-15-Days at "What is the Limit" Garda Lake in 2024,[34] and the Ironman World Championship.