Fanji received his B.S. in Chemistry from Nanjing University in 2013. In 2017, he completed his M.S. in Organic Chemistry from the University of North Texas under the guidance of Prof. LeGrande M. Slaughter, focused on asymmetric catalysis using binaphthyl-based acyclic diamino carbene complexes and C3-symmetric phosphites.

In 2023, Fanji obtained his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from University of Virginia, working under Prof. T. Brent Gunnoe studying hydrocarbon functionalization using rhodium, nickel, and copper complexes, as well as the development of Sb-based Z-type ligand for late transition metals. Now, he is a postdoctoral researcher in the group and continuing his studies focused on ethylene upgrading.