Xiaogang Peng is currently a professor at Zhejiang University in China. He was a chair professor at the University of Arkansas before moving back to China in 2009. He received his B.S. (1987) and Ph.D. (1992) from Jilin University, China. His Postdoctoral experience followed by a position as Staff Scientist at UC Berkeley with Professor Paul Alivisatos between 1994 and 1999 brought him into the field of colloidal nanocrystals.

Quantum dots as solution-processible photo- and electro-excited emitters are promising and may impact many industrial sectors. Some industrial applications of quantum dots are in place in the recent years but it is far below their anticipated potential. Both photoluminescence and electroluminescence are based on generation and relaxation of the excited states. Thus, properties of excited states should be the key for design, synthesis, understanding, and applications of emitters. Specifically, realization of ideal excited states should be the optimal goal for synthesis of colloidal quantum dots.