Award-winning Researcher Joins UTD Bioengineering Department as Assistant Professor
The department is proud to welcome Dr. Chen Cao as a new Assistant Professor this year. Dr. Cao’s impressive track record includes being awarded Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00) by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). She was also recruited to UT Dallas as the First-Time Tenure Track member by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
The Cao Lab utilizes and develops cutting-edge single cell omics, imaging and microfluidics tools to investigate on lineages commitment, cell type evolution and cell-cell interactions (e.g. Cao et al., Nature 2019; Lemaire et al., Science Advances, 2021; Chen et al., Plos Biology, 2022). Her research aims to elucidate the gene regulatory grammar in embryogenesis and cancer development.
Dr. Cao completed her postdoctoral training in developmental biology at the Lewis-Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics in Princeton, where she contributed significant efforts to cell lineage reconstruction with single-cell sequencing technology and the novel cell type evolution in the Ciona nervous system. She holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Peking University, along with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering from Southeast University in China.
How did you get into your research area?
I did my postdoc at Princeton, which is an amazing space for fundamental research and non-classic model system. I’ve seen great scientists utilize cutting-edge technologies to study bumble bees, sea slug, etc., there, and I am always fascinated by the question of how a single cell develops into the amazing and complicated live system. Ciona is the closest living relative of the vertebrates and has a small cell number and a simple body structure; its uniqueness in both development and evolution inspired me to dive into this area with bioengineer expertise.
What is one thing you love about your research?
It’s fun to watch beautiful embryos’ cleavage process. And sometimes we get surprising visitors from our Ciona shipping package, like sea slugs and sea snails.
Have you found a spot you like on campus?
Not yet, I do like the trees and fountains around the circle.
If you did not have bioengineering as a career path, then what would you have chosen?
Maybe a zoologist.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of teaching and research?
Reading, staying with my family and cats.
What advice would you give to bioengineering students?
Make every effort to explore careers that align with your inner interests. Then, work hard and play hard.
Dr. Cao is currently recruiting new members for her lab! She is looking for trainees who are interested in development and evolution, a background in single cell sequencing, bioinformatics, genetics, biophysics, imaging, or related disciplines will be a plus. If you are interested in applying, please email Dr. Cao at Chen.Cao@UTDallas.edu