Pan obtained his PhD from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with a research focus on autophagy and protein trafficking. He continued his academic career as a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany, where he developed multiple research lines including cytoplasmic inheritance and algal biotechnology. In 2024, Pan joined Wageningen University & Research as an assistant professor. He was awarded the ERC Starting Grant and NWO Vidi Grant to advance his research on cytoplasmic genetics, plastid and mitochondrial biology.