Jingyue Ju

Jingyue Ju

Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering; Professor of Chemical Engineering and Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Jingyue Ju’s research uses molecular science and engineering to create new approaches for highly efficient and cost-effective DNA sequencing, an essential technology for personalized precision medicine. His research also focuses on the development of novel antiviral therapeutics.

As a U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley (1994-5), he pioneered the application of chemistry and fluorescence energy transfer (ET) principle to construct ET molecular tags for high-throughput DNA sequencing and analysis, which was widely used for the completion of the Human Genome Project. He is the inventor of over 80 U.S. patents in genomic technology, including a novel method for single molecule real-time electronic DNA sequencing, which has the potential to accelerate the use of DNA sequencing for wide applications in clinical diagnosis and precision medicine.

The Ju Laboratory focuses on the design and synthesis of novel molecules for biological engineering, imaging and the development of new technologies for genomic research. His team uses a combination of chemical science, engineering principles and experimental biological approaches to pursue these research objectives. They invented several generations of DNA sequencing technologies, including the design and synthesis of cleavable fluorescent nucleotide reversible terminators that enabled the development of the DNA sequencing-by-synthesis platform, the dominant approach used in next-generation sequencing systems, which laid the foundation for the $1,000 genome. Another project involves the use of genomic approaches to decipher memory circuits for the study of brain function, which helps delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological disorders.

His laboratory is also pursuing the design and synthesis of novel nucleotide analogues as antiviral therapeutics. The viral targets include SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) and other viral families with high potential to cause future pandemics.

Ju received a BS in Chemistry from Inner Mongolia University in 1985, an MS in Chemistry from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1988, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southern California in 1994. He was a recipient of the Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering.

Research Areas

  • Genomics Science and Engineering
  • Chemical and Biological Engineering

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering, Columbia University, 2011–Present
    • Professor of Chemical Engineering and Molecular Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Columbia University, 2023-Present
    • Professor of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacology, Columbia University, 2010–2023
    • Director, Center for Genome Technology and Biomolecular Engineering, Columbia University, 2003–Present
    • Professor of Chemical Engineering and Head of DNA Sequencing & Chemical Biology, Columbia Genome Center, Columbia University, 2005–Present
    • Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Head of DNA Sequencing & Chemical Biology, Columbia Genome Center, Columbia University, 1999–2005
    • Senior Scientist and Director, Chemistry and Assay Development, Incyte Genomics, Inc., 1995–1999
  • Honors & Awards
    • Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, 2018.
    • The Department of Chemistry Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Southern California, 2023
    • Top 20 Translational Researchers of 2019 & 2020, Nature Biotechnology
    • Distinguished Fundamental Research Award for Next Generation DNA
    • Sequencing Research & Development. Next Generation Sequencing
    • Research and Development Association, China, 2017. 
    • Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering, Columbia University, 2011.
    • Outstanding Chinese Scholar Achievement Award, Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association, 2004.
    • Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering, 2001-2006.
    • US Department of Energy, Human Genome Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1994-1995.
  • Education
    • PhD, University of Southern California
    • MS, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    • BS, Chinese Academy of Sciences Inner Mongolia University, China