His research examines how the structural architecture of the brain shapes functional outcomes at synaptic and circuit levels. He studies how experience, stress and aging influence glial–neuronal interactions and how these cellular and microstructural changes modify information flow, stability and plasticity within cortical networks. His work seeks to identify general principles that link structural patterns to functional consequences. He is especially interested in how shifts in dendritic, synaptic or glial organization alter circuit computations and long-term trajectories of adaptability, resilience or vulnerability across the lifespan. By integrating quantitative morphology with circuit-level reasoning, his research aims to clarify how structure and function co-evolve within the developing, mature and aging brain.

His teaching interests at Duke Kunshan include Systems and Circuits Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Abnormal Psychology. His courses emphasize conceptual clarity, mechanistic thinking and the integration of structural, developmental and functional perspectives on behavior.

He has extensive experience in structural and cellular neuroscience, including circuit analysis, glial–neuronal dynamics and experience-dependent plasticity. Before joining Duke Kunshan University, he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and trained across synaptic, perceptual and glial–neuronal plasticity research.Chen received his Ph.D. in Psychology from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.