On Jun. 21, 2026, Chen Weiqiang, formerly a tenured professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at New York University (NYU), has joined the school of biomedical engineering at Nanjing University as a distinguished professor.

Chen graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Nanjing University’s physics school in 2005. In 2008, he obtained a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Chen then joined NYU in 2014 as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

He developed a “cancer-on-a-chip” method to study certain kinds of cancer in an engineered environment. This provides an easy way to study how aggressive cancers behave under the normal conditions of the human body and offers a window into how cancers might be treated in the future.

The technology can mimic the specific tissue environment of a patient with a particular cancer, using their own cells, allowing certain treatments to be tested on the chip to ensure they might be effective in the body.

Chen has published nearly 70 peer-reviewed academic articles and presided over more than 20 major international scientific research projects with total funding exceeding 63 million yuan (US$13.2 million). He also helped establish the world’s first data research centre for novel animal alternative methods at NYU. In March 2024, Chen was promoted to full tenured professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at the university.

He said he would build on his research, delve deeply into the forefront, focus on nurturing talent and make every effort to promote discipline construction and the integration of industry, academia and research to live up to the trust and high expectations of the school.

In the latest 2026 Nature Index academic rankings, Nanjing University is ranked ninth globally, while New York University is ranked 72nd.