Shasha Chong

Shasha Chong is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology and a Ronald and JoAnne Willens Scholar. She earned her B.S. from the University of Science & Technology of China (2008) and Ph.D. from Harvard University (2014). Her research bridges chemistry, physics, and biology to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cellular processes, focusing on intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in transcription proteins.

• Research Focus: IDRs in transcriptional regulation, cancer biology, liquid-liquid phase separation, and single-molecule imaging techniques.
• Grants & Awards: CCE Innovation Award (2024), ALSF Innovation Grant, Mallinckrodt Research Grant, Margaret E. Early Medical Research Trust Grant.
• Collaborations: Caltech-City of Hope Biomedical Research Initiative Grant (2025).
• Teaching: Co-instructor for courses like Biochemistry Laboratory (Ch 11) and Advanced Topics in Biochemistry (BMB/Bi/Ch 174).
• Labs & Teams: Leads the Chong Laboratory at Caltech, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches combining single-molecule imaging, genome editing, and bioinformatics.