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Congratulations to Biochemistry and Biophysics faculty Xian Chen who was promoted from associate professor to full professor effective August 2, 2019.

Dr. Chen joined the UNC faculty at the end of 2006 as an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics and received tenure in 2011. Prior to his arrival in UNC he was the team leader of a Bioanalytical group and a technical staff member in the Bioscience Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Chen earned a BS in Chemistry from Peking University, China, and received his Ph.D in Chemistry from Penn State University. He then became a molecular & structural biologist with postdoctoral trainings first at the Medical School of University of Florida, and then at the Life Sciences Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Dr. Chen has earned distinction as a recipient of Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), named by President Bill Clinton (1999). He was the inventor of a popular amino acid-coded mass tagging proteomics technique, a.k. a. stable isotope labeling in cell culture or ‘SILAC’.

Xian Chen, PhD
Xian Chen PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics

The research in the Chen lab involves both developing and applying novel multi-omics systems biology approaches, particularly mass spectrometry-based proteomics, to resolve the complexities associated with human diseases. Currently, they are focusing on 1) deciphering of the etiology of chronic inflammation-associated diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s  disease, and type 1 diabetes, and 2) identification of new biomarkers for personalized early diagnosis and prognosis of these diseases. His promotion to full professor with tenure is effective August 2, 2019 and is based upon excellence in research.