Xiandeng Hou (Dan) is a professor of analytical chemistry at Sichuan University, China. After he received his BS in 1984 and MS in 1987 from Chengdu University of Technology, he was retained as a chemistry teacher there till 1994 when he went abroad for graduate studies. In 1999, he obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry from University of Connecticut, USA. He worked as a post-doctoral research associate for two years at Wake Forest University, USA before he joined the faculty of Chemistry at Sichuan University. He has authored and co-authored about 300 publications in peer reviewed journals and books. His research interest mainly lies in spectral analysis, with emphasis on analytical atomic spectromtry-related sample pretreatment, preconcentration and separation, sample introduction, method development and instrumentation. He is now an associate editor of Microchemical Journal, a member of the International Advisory Board of Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, and on editorial board of Spectroscopy Letters, and Applied Spectroscopy Reviews.