Inhee Chung is a scientist driven by deep curiosity, a love of problem-solving, and a desire to make a meaningful impact on human health. From her early fascination with math, music, and art to her groundbreaking research in physical chemistry and cancer biology, Inhee has followed the questions that inspire her — questions that led her from Korea to the U.S., from quantum dots to breast cancer, and from theoretical science to translational research.
What’s your story?
I’ve always been deeply curious, about people, about how things work, about why they happen. Even as a child, I loved observing the world and trying to make sense of it. I never imagined I’d go into science. I was more drawn to math, music, and art, blank paper and a pencil were my favorite tools. But life shifted, and I found myself studying chemistry. It wasn’t until I discovered physical chemistry that something clicked.
I moved from Korea to the U.S. for graduate studies, where I fell in love with the research process. My early work focused on semiconductor nanocrystals called quantum dots, and I studied their photophysics at the single-particle level. I loved observing new phenomena and solving the puzzles they presented.
Over time, I began to ask myself: Who benefits from this work? I wanted to contribute to something that could directly help people. That’s when I pivoted to biology. It was daunting — I had no background in it — but I trusted my ability to ask meaningful questions and pursue the answers. That trust has carried me through.
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
At the heart of everything I do is love, especially the love I have for my family. They are my motivation, my compass, and my greatest joy. Becoming a mother to my son has profoundly changed how I see the world.
Next is my research. I didn’t enter science because I was chasing a specific career path; I was chasing questions. That curiosity still drives me every day. I love the challenge of trying to uncover something no one else has seen yet. Our work now focuses on understanding how early-stage breast cancers become invasive. It’s basic research, but with a strong translational purpose. I believe that if we can understand the underlying mechanisms, we can create tools that directly help patients.
And finally, my lab team. I care deeply about fostering an environment where people not only do great science but also feel fulfilled, valued, and supported. Leading a team has taught me many lessons—there have been challenges as well as joyful moments. Above all, I strive to create a space where curiosity thrives and everyone feels safe to be themselves. So, when I wake up each day, it’s with the goal of moving forward on all three fronts: for my family, for my science, and for the people I work alongside.
What is the one book that has influenced you the most?
To Have or To Be? by Erich Fromm. As a child, I was struck by how people often treated each other based on usefulness rather than mutual respect. It troubled me deeply. When I read Fromm’s book in high school, I felt seen and understood. His ideas about authenticity, compassion, and the danger of consumerist thinking validated so many of my own thoughts. It was like meeting a lifelong friend who could finally put my discomfort into words.
What absolutely excites you in your research right now?
I’m deeply fascinated by the process of cancer metastasis, specifically, how a non-invasive cancer becomes invasive and spreads. Can we understand, and maybe even prevent, that critical transition from non-invasive to invasive cancer?
My lab currently focuses on breast cancer, particularly a form called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is non-invasive and contained within the milk ducts. The challenge is that while many patients with DCIS undergo surgery as a precaution, not all of these lesions would ever become life-threatening. The problem is, we don’t yet have the biological tools to predict which ones will progress and which ones won’t. That uncertainty leads to overtreatment, and it deeply affects patients' lives.
What excites me is that our work reveals that it’s not just biology driving these changes, it’s also the physics and mechanics of cells. My background in physical chemistry helps me see these systems differently. We've developed tools to study live cells at the nanoscale and are beginning to use AI to translate those findings into diagnostic and prognostic tools. Our goal is to predict how a tumor might behave in the future based on what it’s doing right now.
What’s the most interesting thing we should know about you?
If there’s one thing that defines who I am, it’s how deeply I love my family. That love is the most important part of my life, it shapes the way I see the world, the way I work, and how I interact with others.
My son was born just after I started my current job, and from the very beginning, he has been one of my greatest teachers. He’s seven now, endlessly creative and truly the boss of our family in the best way. One of our favorite things to do together is tell stories, which he calls “never-ending stories.” I make them up as I go, weaving tales that stretch across days, adding new twists each time he asks for the next part. It’s our special tradition, and I love it as much as he does, although it has become more challenging to come up with a fun story as he gets more demanding about the plotlines.
I’ve spoken with my mother every day since moving to the U.S., and I always believed I understood her role as a mother. But becoming a mother myself has given me a profoundly new perspective on her, on my work, and on life. It has deepened my commitment to a future where science and compassion are inseparable, where the discoveries we make in the lab truly impact people’s lives. My family keeps me grounded, gives me strength, and reminds me each day why this work matters.
