Shu Chien is a University Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering and Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, in the Engineering faculty. He earned his M.D. from National Taiwan University and his Ph.D. in Physiology from Columbia University, where he served as a professor from 1969 to 1988. Chien joined UCSD in 1988 and became the founding chair of the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering in 1994. In 2006, he was named the inaugural holder of the Y.C. Fung Endowed Chair in Bioengineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering. He founded and directed the Institute for Engineering in Medicine in 2008 to foster collaborations among UCSD faculty and with San Diego's research institutes and biomedical companies. As founding director of the UC Systemwide Bioengineering Institute, he promoted research and education collaborations across the ten UC campuses. Chien was principal investigator on the Whitaker Foundation Development Award in 1993 and Leadership Award in 1998, which helped establish UCSD's bioengineering program as one of the top in the country.

Chien's research specializations center on hemodynamic regulation of vascular homeostasis, exploring how blood flow forces impact the cardiovascular system, endothelial cell functions, gene expression, cell growth, migration, and death. His work elucidates pathophysiological mechanisms of atherosclerosis and hypertension, contributing to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Employing a multidisciplinary integrative approach combining engineering and biomedical sciences, he utilizes technologies including nanotechnology, DNA microarrays, bioinformatics, cell biophysics, and biomechanics. Chien has authored over 500 journal articles and 11 books, with recent publications such as 'An integrated view of the structure and function of the human 4D nucleome' (Nature, 2026), 'Pulsatile flow induces chromatin interaction with lamin-associated proteins to enrich H3K9 methylation in endothelial cells' (PNAS, 2025), and 'METTL3 mediates atheroprone flow-induced glycolysis in endothelial cells' (PNAS, 2025). His pioneering contributions founded the fields of mechanobiology and cellular and molecular bioengineering. Among major awards and honors, Chien received the National Medal of Science in 2011, memberships in the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Franklin Medal, UC San Diego Revelle Medal, and two Melville Medals from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He served as president of seven professional organizations, including the Biomedical Engineering Society and American Physiological Society, chaired major international congresses, and helped launch the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. Chien's influence elevated UCSD's bioengineering department to national prominence and advanced San Diego's biotech ecosystem.

Professional Email: shuchien@ucsd.edu