Before joining the University of Kentucky in 2006, he served as founding Director of the Institution for Nutritional Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China (2003-2007, part time) and Research Chemist and Team Leader, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morgantown, WV (1996-2004).  He also served as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, West Virginia University (1997-2014). He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at West Virginia University in 1989 and received his postdoctoral training at West Virginia University (1989-1992) and the National Cancer Institute (1992-1996).     

Dr. Shi is author or co-author of 424 articles: these articles have received 26,678 citations with an H-index of 85 (Google Scholar, up to July 10, 2017). He has served as guest editor for 8 special journal issues and as editor for 2 book series in his field. He initiated the biennial meeting of Metal toxicity and Carcinogenesis in 2000 and has served as the organizer or co-organizer since then. He has also served as a member or chair of various review and advisory committees. He is now a member in Systemic Injury by Environmental Exposure (SIEE) Study Section, NIH.

Dr. Shi's laboratory focuses on investigation on molecular mechanism of metal-induced carcinogenesis and mechanism-based prevention. We are studying carcinogenic metal-induced generation of reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress, activations of transcription factors, gene expression, cell migration and invasion, actin filament reorganization, transformation, tumorigenesis, DNA damage and repair, stem cells, metabolism cell cycle regulation, autophagy, and apoptosis. The long term goals are to provide a fundamental understanding concerning the mechanism of carcinogenic actions of metal compounds; to fill a need for the mechanistic information of cancer risk assessment for metal exposure; to propose methods for early detection; and to develop intervention and prevention strategies. The research interests of Dr. Shi's laboratory also include development of naturally occurring antioxidants into chemopreventive agents; prevention of UV-induced skin aging, inflammation, and cancer; and environmental factors in obesity and diabetes and their prevention.