| 2014-present | Horace B. Horton Professor | University of Chicago |
| 2009-2014 | Professor | University of Chicago |
| 2003-2009 | Associate Professor | University of Chicago |
| 2000-2003 | Assistant Professor | University of Chicago |
| 1995-2000 | Long Term Member | Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton |
| Summer 1995 | Postdoctoral Research Associate | Center for Particle Astrophysics, Berkeley |
| 1995-1992 | Research Assistant | UC Berkeley, Berkeley |
| 1992-1990 | Teaching Assistant | UC Berkeley, Berkeley |
| 1995 | Ph.D. Physics | UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA | ASP Trumpler & UCB Uhl Awards |
| 1992 | M.A. Physics | UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA | NSF & Berkeley Fellowships |
| 1990 | A.B. Physics | Princeton University, Princeton, NJ | Summa cum laude; Kusaka Award |
| 2003-08 | Packard Fellowship |
| 2001-03 | Outstanding Junior Investigator, DOE |
| 1997-99 | Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship |
| 1990-91;1993-95 | NSF Graduate Fellowship |
| 1991-93 | UC Berkeley Fellowship |
| 1990-93 | Department of Education Fellowship |
| 2000 | Warner Prize | American Astronomical Society | For Early Career |
| 1999 | Outstanding Young Investigator Award | Overseas Chinese Physics Association | For Early Career |
| 1996 | Robert J. Trumpler Award | Astronomical Society of the Pacific | For PhD Research |
| 1995 | Uhl Award | UC Berkeley | For Graduate Research in Astronomy & Physics |
| 1990 | Kusaka Award | Princeton University | For Senior Thesis |
| 1990 | Applied Physics Award | Lawrence Livermore National Labs | For Summer Research |
| 1989 | Kusaka Award | Princeton University | For Junior Research Project |
| 2016 | National Academy of Sciences |
| 2014 | American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
| 1996 | Astronomical Society of the Pacific |
| 1990 | Sigma Xi |
| 1990 | Phi Beta Kappa |