Introduction：
Dr. Xiaojing Chen obtained her bachelor’s degree at Shandong University and Ph.D. degree at Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai. From 2014 to 2019, she studied episodic memory and spatial navigation in Professor James Knierim’s lab at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Chen became an assistant professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) from 2020. Dr. Chen’s research area is the physiology and pathology of learning memory.
Research Interests：
Our memory is a record of our personal experience. “Life without memory is no life at all”. The hippocampus is the core brain region of memory and the residence of “cognitive map”. Dr. Xiaojing Chen’s research is mainly focused on how the spatial and episodic memories are represented in the hippocampus and its related brain areas in immature, mature and pathological conditions. The research program in our lab is guided by two major questions:
1.How are the spatial navigation circuits wired during development and influenced by experiences?
2.How do these circuits change in pathological conditions?
Professional Experience：
◆2020 – present, Department of Biology, SUSTech, Assistant Professor
◆2014 – 2019, Johns Hopkins University, Postdoctoral Fellow
◆2005 – 2007, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Research Assistant
Educational Background：
◆2007 – 2014, PhD, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences
◆2001 – 2005, BSc, Shandong University.
Selected Publication：
◆ Wang C, Chen X, Knierim JJ. Egocentric and allocentric representations of space in the rodent brain. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2019(60):12-20
◆Wang C*, Chen X*, Lee H, Deshmukh SS, Yoganarasimha D, Savelli F, Knierim JJ. Egocentric Coding of External Items in the Lateral Entorhinal Cortex；Science；362(6417):945-949；(*Co-first author)
◆ Chen X, Knierim JJ It's About Time: Temporal Dynamics of Dentate Gyrus Pattern Separation；Neuron；98(4):681-683；
◆GoodSmith D*, Chen X*, Wang C, Kim SH, Song H, Burgalossi A, Christian KM, Knierim JJ. Spatial representations of granule cells and mossy cells of the dentate gyrus；Neuron； 93(3):677-690 (*Co-first author)
◆ Chen XJ, Rasch MJ, Chen G, Ye CQ, Wu S, Zhang XH. Binocular Input Coincidence Mediates Critical Period Plasticity in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex；Journal of Neuroscience；34(8):2940-55
Other Info：
Our lab have positions available for postdocs, research assistants, as well as graduate students with different background such as biology, neuroscience, bioinformatics, and computer science and engineering. Please contact chenxj@sustech.edu.cn if you are interested in our research and are considering joining us.
