Ming was born in China and grew up in Hong Kong. He graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 2003 and earned his Ph.D. degree under the guidance of Professor Michael Krische at the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. He then continued his training as a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University with Professor Barry Trost and Harvard University with Professor Tobias Ritter. Ming joined the Chemistry Department at the State University of New York - Stony Brook in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019. The Ngai lab focuses on the establishment of catalytic platforms to edit and prepare organic molecules efficiently and selectively. They combine detailed experimental and computational studies to understand reactivity and mechanisms with which to guide the design of new catalysts and the development of novel applications in organic, bioorganic, and medicinal chemistry. His research programs have been supported and recognized with an NIH Maximizing Investigator Research Award, NSF CAREER Award, ACS Young Academic Investigator. He is also inducted as a member of the National Academy of Inventors.