• 2026 January – David gave seminars and visited the Drosophila labs at three different institutes in Japan: Dr. Akinao Nose‘s lab at the University of Tokyo, Kashiwa Campus, Dr. Shu Kondo‘s lab at Tokyo University of Science, and Dr. Takashi Suzuki‘s lab at the Institute of Science, Tokyo. Thank you all for your hospitality!
  • 2025 November – We are thrilled to announce that our collaborative paper with Yun Ding’s lab at UPenn has been published in PNAS. We revealed how conserved dsx⁺ neural circuits evolve at the molecular level to generate diverse sexual behaviors in Drosophila. We are excited to share this milestone and congratulate all collaborators on this achievement!
  • 2025 October – Departmental Feature on our PI! David was featured in the Temple Biology Department’s news spotlight! Check out the Get to Know New Faculty profile to learn more about his research and journey: Get to Know Biology’s Yu-Chieh David Chen
  • 2025 October – Chen lab has received a Hamilton Pipette Grant! This grant will include up to $1,000 in Hamilton Pipette Products. We use this grant to get two 8-multichannel pipettes! Thanks to Hamilton Company for the support!
  • 2025 October – David had a great time visiting the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech to give a departmental seminar. Huge thanks to Scotty Yang and Aaron Gross for being such wonderful hosts!
  • 2025 October – Jimmy represented the Chen Lab at the 2025 Neurobiology of Drosophila Meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory! He presented our gene-specific split-GAL4 tools and the lab’s ongoing efforts to expand this powerful resource. Jimmy also connected with the vibrant Drosophila research community to share and promote our work. Great job, Jimmy!
  • 2025 October – We are excited to welcome Jimmy Kelly to the Chen Lab! He brings extensive lab management experience that will be invaluable as we set up and grow our new research home at Temple University. Welcome aboard, Jimmy!
  • 2025 September – We are thrilled to welcome two new undergraduate researchers to the Chen Lab! Katelyn Porrecca, a senior majoring in Biology, and Erin Kanwal, a junior majoring in Biology at Temple University, have joined the team. They will contribute to our ongoing efforts to develop new cell-type-specific genetic tools for studying the Drosophila nervous system. We are excited to see their curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm bring new energy to the lab. Welcome aboard, Katelyn and Erin!
  • 2025 September – David was selected as a participant in the 2025 Interstellar Initiative, hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). The Interstellar Initiative brings together exceptional early-career scientists from around the world to form interdisciplinary teams tackling grand challenges in human health and disease.
  • 2025 August – David attended the 2025 CNCM Annual Conference: The Changing Brain in Irvine, CA. This is his first conference as a new PI! It was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and get inspired by amazing science. Following the conference, David gave invited seminars at UCLA and Caltech — big thanks to the hosts for the warm welcome!
  • 2025 August – Chen Lab Opens! The office is cleaned, the keys are in hand, and we’re officially open for science at Temple University! Next step: setting up the lab space!