Chi Chen

Chi Chen is a Professor in the Department of Food Science & Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, affiliated with the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. He is also associated with interdisciplinary research initiatives including the Integrated Animal Systems Biology program and Microbiota Therapeutics. His research integrates metabolomics with nutritional and toxicological sciences to understand metabolic responses to dietary and environmental challenges.

Education:

• Post-doctorate in Metabolomics, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD (2008)
• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (2004)
• M.S. in Pharmacognosy, West China University of Medical Science, Chengdu, China (1998)
• B.S. in Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China (1993)

Dr. Chen's research focuses on mechanistic investigations of metabolic changes induced by dietary, chemical, microbial, and pathophysiological factors. He employs mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics, targeted metabolite analysis, stable isotope tracing, in vitro biochemical assays, animal models, and human intervention studies. His work covers a broad range of metabolites, including lipids, amino acids, organic acids, microbial metabolites, phytochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and carcinogens in biofluids, tissues, and cell extracts.

His scientific contributions have been recognized through several prestigious awards, including the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence and the ASPET Postdoctoral Scientist Award in Drug Metabolism. These honors reflect his excellence in drug metabolism and graduate-level biotechnology research.

Dr. Chen is actively involved in teaching and mentorship, offering courses such as FSCN 4622: Nutritional Toxicology (undergraduate) and NUTR 5627: Nutritional and Food Toxicology (graduate), as well as NUTR 5625/ANSC 5625: Nutritional Biochemistry. He advises graduate students and likely supervises research within his metabolomics-focused laboratory, although specific student names are not listed. His research is supported through institutional affiliations and collaborative grants, particularly within animal systems biology and microbiota-related therapeutics.

He is a key member of the Animal Systems Biology Team and contributes to cutting-edge research in microbiota therapeutics, integrating food science with systems-level biological analysis.