5 Questions for Jingjing Chen, PhD

This question-and-answer series explores the motivations, inspirations and accomplishments of investigators at St. Jude. Jingjing Chen, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Yong Cheng, PhD, in the St. Jude Department of Hematology.

1. What do you like most about being a scientist?

The process of discovery. Science is rarely about instant answers; it is a journey of curiosity, patience and persistence. I love starting with a question that we don’t yet fully understand, thinking deeply about possible explanations, and then designing experiments to test those ideas. Each step — learning new techniques, collecting data and interpreting the results — helps us gradually refine how we understand a biological problem. That step-by-step process of uncovering something new is incredibly fulfilling. I also genuinely enjoy reading research papers. Seeing the elegant experiments and beautiful data produced by other scientists always inspires me. It reminds me of how creative and collaborative science can be. Often, a single figure or clever experiment in someone else’s work can spark a completely new idea for my own research.

2. What questions are you trying to answer through your research?

About 98% of the human genome does not encode proteins, but a large portion of this non-coding DNA plays important regulatory roles. Among them are cis-regulatory elements that help control when and how genes are expressed. However, one major challenge in genomics is determining which of these elements are truly functional and affect gene expression and cellular behavior. My research focuses on a transcription factor called GATA1, a master regulator of gene expression in erythroid cells, the precursor cells in the bone marrow that develop into red blood cells. Mutations that disrupt GATA1 binding sites are strongly associated with several disorders affecting red blood cells. In our work, we experimentally modify thousands of GATA1 binding motifs and measure the resulting molecular and cellular effects. By combining these experimental approaches with deep learning models, we aim to better understand which regulatory elements are truly functional and how they influence gene regulation. Ultimately, our goal is to identify important cis-regulatory elements that drive strong biological effects but may be overlooked or underestimated by current computational models. Understanding these hidden regulatory signals could improve our ability to interpret non-coding mutations and shed light on the genetic basis of human disease.

3. What resources or capabilities set St. Jude apart as a great place to do research?

St. Jude provides an outstanding research environment for postdoctoral scientists. One of its greatest strengths is the well-established research infrastructure and the extensive shared resources available to investigators. Shared resources such as the Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, the Hartwell Center, the Flow Cytometry Core and the Protein Production Core, provide powerful technologies and expert support that allow researchers to pursue ambitious projects efficiently.

Another aspect that makes St. Jude special is the highly collaborative culture. It is easy to connect with colleagues from diverse backgrounds, including biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry and computational sciences, which encourages interdisciplinary thinking and often leads to creative solutions to complex scientific problems.

St. Jude is also an incredibly international and multicultural community. Working with people from many different countries and scientific perspectives creates an open environment for communication, learning and collaboration. Together, these resources and the collaborative spirit make St. Jude an exceptional place to do research and further develop as a scientist.

4. How have mentors at different stages of your training shaped your career?

Every mentor I have had at different stages of my training has shaped who I am as a scientist today. Each of them influenced me differently and together they helped build the foundation of my scientific journey.

One mentor who left a particularly deep impression on me was a botany teacher I had in college. He showed me that science is not just something found in textbooks; it can directly help people in the real world. I still remember a story he told us about using his botanical knowledge to help the police correctly identify the victim of a crime. That story showed me the real power of scientific knowledge and gave me one of my earliest understandings of the impact that scientists can have on other people. It inspired me deeply and played an important role in motivating me to pursue science myself.

During my master’s training, my advisor taught me how to do research — how to ask meaningful questions, think critically and design experiments to test ideas. He was an enthusiastic scientist with broad curiosity, always reading papers across many areas of biology and encouraging us to think beyond our immediate projects. From him, I learned that good science is driven not only by technical skills but also by curiosity, openness and the willingness to see a problem from different perspectives.

Throughout my PhD, my advisor continued to shape the way I think about science. He created an environment where I could grow as an independent researcher and constantly encouraged me to think about the bigger picture behind the data. He taught me to look beyond individual experiments and ask what the overall story means and why it matters. That training helped me become a more thoughtful scientist and gave me confidence in tackling complex questions.

Altogether, my mentors have influenced not only my technical development, but also the way I approach scientific problems, communicate ideas and think about the purpose of research. I feel very fortunate to have learned from people who each contributed something unique to my growth, and their guidance continues to shape the scientist I am becoming.

5. What is one piece of advice you’d give to people considering careers in science?

My advice to people considering a career in science is to find the part of research that genuinely excites you. Science can be challenging and often requires dedication and resilience, so it is important to work on questions and topics that you truly enjoy. When you are curious and passionate about the problem you are trying to solve, the long hours of reading, thinking and experimenting become much more meaningful and rewarding.

Early in my journey, I explored several different research areas, including rice root development, biopesticides and signaling pathways. Although I found all of them interesting, they did not fully bring me the sense of purpose I was looking for. Those experiences helped me better understand what kind of scientific questions truly motivate me. The most important thing is to choose a path that energizes and inspires you, rather than forcing yourself to stay in something that does not make you feel fulfilled.