Dr. Xiaodong Cheng received his PhD in neutron protein crystallography from the State University of New York in 1989 (in the laboratory of Benno P. Schoenborn) after completing his undergraduate education in Physics from Fudan University. Over the past 30+ years, his research has been focusing on understanding the generation, recognition, and erasure of epigenetic methyl marks on DNA and histones. His journey in the epigenetics field began with his first publication on DNA methylation in 1992 (Biochemistry). It was at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory when he began a collaboration with Dr. Richard J. Roberts that led to the discovery of DNA base flipping by a DNA methyltransferase. In 1997, Dr. Cheng joined Emory University School of Medicine as a Professor of Biochemistry and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, where his research delved into the structural and functional connections between DNA and histone methylation. In 2016, Dr. Cheng joined the MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) as a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. At MDACC, he has furthered his basic research on epigenetic modifications and expanded his focus to translational research.