Professor Resources Terminology Contact Us Publications News Links Data Zengjian Jeffrey Chen D. J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics Zengjian Jeffrey Chen received his B.S. in Agronomy (Plant Science) at Zhejiang Agricultural University (now Zhejiang University), M.S. in Plant Genetics and Breeding at Nanjing Agricultural University, and Ph.D. in Genetics at Texas A&M University (dissertation advisor: Gary E. Hart). Following a postdoctoral position with Dr. Ronald L. Phillips and Dr. Howard W. Rines at University of Minnesota and an NIH postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Craig S. Pikaard at Washington University in St. Louis, he joined the faculty at Texas A&M in 1999, where he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. In 2005, he joined the faculty of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology (now Department of Molecular Biosciences), Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas at Austin, and was promoted to Full Professor in 2008 and holder of the D. J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology. From 2011 to February 2021, he served as a consultant and Adjunct Professor at Nanjing Agricultural University. Chen is a leading authority on cotton genomics and plant epigenetics. He determined that epigenetic events control nucleolar dominance and genome-wide non-additive gene expression in plant hybrids and polyploids, leading to hybrid vigor and inbreeding depression. Chen led an international effort that sequenced genomes and epigenomes of all five cotton species, a major resource for cotton improvement. EDUCATION Zhejiang Agricultural UniversityAgronomy (Plant Science)B.S., 1984Nanjing Agricultural UniversityPlant Genetics & BreedingM.S., 1987Texas A&M UniversityGeneticsPh.D., 1993University of MinnesotaPlant GenomicsPostdoc, 1993-1995Washington UniversityEpigeneticsNIH Postdoc, 1995-1999 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 1986-1988Faculty of Plant Genetics, Northeast Agricultural University1990-1993Interdisciplinary Genetics Program, Texas A&M University. Dissertation Advisor: Gary E. Hart1993-1995Postdoctoral Associate, University of Minnesota. Mentors: Ronald L. Phillips and Howard W. Rines1995-1999NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Washington University-St. Louis. Mentor: Craig S. Pikaard1999-2005Assistant Professor, Texas A&M UniversityGenetics, Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences2005Associate Professor, Texas A&M University2005-2008Associate Professor and D. J. Sibley Centennial Professorship Fellow, University of Texas at AustinSection of Molecular Cell and Developmental BiologyCellular and Molecular Biology, Plant BiologyCenter for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics2007Adjunct Professor, Integrative Biology2008-2021Professor, D. J. Sibley Centennial Professorship in Plant Molecular Genetics2011-2021Adjunct Professor (summer part-time), Nanjing Agricultural University2023-2024Professor of Molecular Biosciences, the Winkler Fellow2024-D. J. Sibley Centennial Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics HONORS AND AWARDS 1989-1990Graduate Scholarship, K. C. Wong Foundation in Hong Kong1995-1997Monsanto Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Monsanto Company1997-1999National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Award2005D. J. Sibley Centennial Professorship Fellow in Plant Molecular Genetics2005Fellow of the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology2010-2011Faculty Development Program Award2010-2011Fulbright US-UK Scholar AwardLent 2011Visiting Fellow Commoner, Trinity College, University of Cambridge2011Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)2016Cotton Biotechnology Award 2021Faculty Member, Faculty Opinions (formerly F1000Prime)2023Fellow of American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) MEMBERSHIP The Genetics Society of America (GSA)American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)Epigenetics SocietySociety for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE)
