Peter received the B.E. degree in manufacturing engineering and the M.E. degree in mechanical engineering from Southeast University, Nanjing, China, in 1982 and 1985, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in mechatronics from Beihang University, Beijing, China, in 1988.
Currently, Professor Xu is affiliated with Riddet Institute, The New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Food, Innovation and Health and The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonics and Quantum Technologies, The New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE). Also, he was PI of the New Zealand Medical Technologies Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) (2005-2021)
Professor Xu has served as Associate Editors for journals: IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, IEEE Open Journal of Industrial Electronics Society, ASME Journal of Science and Engineering in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy, and Journal of Field Robotics.
Professor Xu was the recipient of research fellowships from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 1990, Korean Federation of Science and Technology, 2006 and Japan Society of the Promotion of Science, 2010.