Dr. Xu is a Professor at South China University of Technology and Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka, holding several international academic appointments, including Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visiting Assistant Scientist at the University of Maryland, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon (Thailand), and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Shantou Medical University.

Recognized among the Best Microbiology Scientists (2023–2025) and the Top 100,000 Scientists Worldwide (2021, Biology), he has received multiple honors, including the Top 100 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertations in China (2014), Guangdong Special Support Program for High-level Talents (2017), and the Guangzhou Pearl River Science and Technology Nova Award (2017).

As Principal Investigator, Dr. Xu has led over 40 research grants (including five national), securing more than 15 million RMB. He has authored over 120 SCI-indexed publications (total IF > 500) with an H-index of 52, I-10 index of 114, and more than 8,200 citations. He has contributed 10+ book chapters, applied for over 30 patents (8 granted in China, 4 PCT), and published extensively on microbial biofilms.

His awards include the Outstanding Investigator Award in Biofilms (2021, Antibiotics), Outstanding Contribution Award of Guangdong Talent Platform (2020–2021), Bronze Awards at the National Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (2021) and Internet+ Competition (2020–2021), and Gold Award in iGEM (2017).

Dr. Xu serves as Associate Editor for LWT, Current Microbiology, Antibiotics, and Bioengineered; Editorial Board Member of 14 journals including Biofilm, Food Microbiology, and FEMS Microbiology Ecology; Guest Editor for over 20 journals; and reviewer for more than 80.

His research focuses on microbial biofilms, including regulation, polymicrobial interactions, quorum sensing, VBNC states, antimicrobial resistance, and microbial diagnostics. He co-founded and co-presides over the Asia-Pacific Biofilms Conference Series, hosting five conferences, and is also a co-founder and trustee of the Mark Shirtliff Biofilm Foundation.