Mao Wei, male, Han nationality, was born in 1968 and graduated from the Computer Department of Sichuan University in 1988. He received a master's degree from the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1996 and started studies for a doctorate degree in 2000.
After graduating from university, Mao began a position in the computer office at the Zigong branch of the People's Bank of China. He then moved to the Chuannan Corporation of the Sichuan Xinchao Computer Industry Group for technology development work.
In 1996, Mao became the deputy director of the network office of the computer network information center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He then helped with the construction of the China Network Information Center, and subsequently served as director, a member of the working committee, and supervised the network information technology research office.
An early pioneer with Chinese Internet efforts, Mao traveled to the United States to serve as a visiting scholar at the University of Maryland in 2002.