He was elected as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013. He graduated from Fuyang Normal University in 1982 and then obtained his Ph.D. from Beijing Normal University in 1993. He conduct research and teach at Beijing Normal University from 1998. Currently, he is the dean of college of chemistry, Beijing Normal University, and the director ofKey Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education.

His research is focused on theoretical and computational photochemistry. He has published over 150 papers including J. Am. Chem. Soc. and presided over several key program and major program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He was won the first prize of Science and Technology Progress, Ministry of Education twice. Fang Weihai has won a place in the world for Chinese theoretical chemistry and is recognized as the leader of the new generation of theoretical chemistry in China.