The Shen lab uses systems biology to study spatiotemporal controls of multicellular systems, and how their subversion lead to diseases. Ongoing projects include colon cancer, normal and cancer stem cells, non-coding RNAs, enteric nervous system, and tuberculosis.

Originally trained as an electrical engineer, Dr. Shen studies biological circuits that are critical to development and diseases. He also develops novel technologies that model human diseases and enable single-cell tracking in live animals.