Dr. He was born in Beijing, China. Although he spent most of his childhood in that inland city, he had already started to explore the marine world in the library and aquariums.

His interest in the marine world later took him to Qingdao, a shore city in north China. In Qingdao, Dr. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology at the Ocean University of China and certified as a SCUBA diver.  After that, in 2011, Dr. He moved to Trondheim, Norway for his Master of Science degree in Marine Biology and Biochemistry at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Under the supervision of Prof. Jarle Mork, he studied the nature hybridization rate among six different flatfish species which distribute in the Trondheim fjord by using some old school genetic tools. During his time in Norway, Dr. He also got himself certified as a Dive Master and Ice Diver.

In early 2014, Dr. He enrolled in KAUST as a Ph.D. student. Under the supervision of Prof. Michael L. Berumen, he studied the nature hybridization phenomenon among a couple of marine fish species. After his graduation from KAUST in June 2017, Dr. He took a couple of months to complete the Diving Instructor course and got himself certified as an NAUI diving instructor.

In early 2018, Dr. He received a contract from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and worked in the Center of Environment and Water (CEW) as a research scientist. In Dec. 2019 he came back to KAUST and joined the Reef Ecology Lab, Red Sea Research Center as a research scientist.

Dr. He's research interests include investigating the natural hybridization phenomenon for all kinds of marine fishes, the ecological factors which could have an influence on that particular phenomenon, and how the hybridizations influence the marine fish speciation process. He is also investigating the biogeographic patterns of the groupers in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.​