On March 17, 2026, Jingting Chen of Elizabeth Brunk’s lab successfully defended his thesis entitled, “Evolution on Fast-Forward: EcDNA-Driven Adaptive Trajectories at Single-Cell Resolution” and earned his PhD.
Jingting Chen’s research reveals novel adaptive mechanisms by which extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) influences cell-to-cell heterogeneity, DNA organization, and adaptive responses of cancer cells under therapeutic pressure.
In addition to his passion for cancer research, Jingting is also a dedicated mentor and teacher. Over the course of his PhD, Jingting has directly mentored over 10 undergraduate researchers. Several of these trainees achieved notable outcomes, including highest departmental honors and first-authored publications. He also served as a TA of over a hundred students for undergraduate and graduate-level courses spanning biochemistry, bioinformatics, macromolecular structure, and quantitative laboratory training, and he has returned multiple times to instructional roles, reflecting both experience and reliability.
Jingting is also an avid nature lover and cook. Outside of professional roles, Jingting loves to immerse himself in the peace of nature and finds the balance of physical and mental health in good food, music, and exercise.
Following his PhD, Jingting will be continuing his passion for cancer biology as a post-doc toward becoming an independent PI dedicated to precision medicine and improving patient outcomes. We wish Dr. Chen the best in his future endeavors.