RUNC: Tianlong Chen
Tianlong Chen creates AI tools to improve biological science and health care.
By UNC Research
June 11, 2025
Innovation · Research Uncovered · Society
Tianlong Chen is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. He builds accurate, trustworthy, and efficient machine learning systems for using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for biological science and health care. Some of his current projects include using AI to improve the diagnosis of lupus and other autoimmune diseases and to create an app for sexual and reproductive health education.
Q: How did you discover your specific field of study?
A: During my undergraduate studies in 2016, I founded a startup and worked on custom behavior analysis based on visual machine learning. It brought in decent revenue and opened the door to machine learning — a branch of AI focused on teaching computers to identify patterns in data and adapt their behavior accordingly.
But the reason why I put 50% of my efforts into researching machine learning for biological science and health care is my experience during COVID. The pandemic brought significant changes to my life and my family. I want to do public health research that has the potential to serve human beings.
Q: Academics are problem-solvers. Describe a research challenge you’ve faced and how you overcame it.
A: I needed to gain more domain knowledge in biological science, since my bachelor’s degree is in applied mathematics and my PhD is in electrical and computer engineering. I took a gap year from 2023-2024 after my PhD to pursue a postdoc at MIT and Harvard University in the field of computational biology. I expanded my communications with biologists and doctors to learn more. I also extended my reading scope to include more articles and books on science.
Impact Report
North Carolina has the second-highest AI usage rate in the nation, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Over 5% of businesses are currently using the technology and that number is expected to increase.
Projects like Tianlong Chen’s are funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. This funding supports vital research, advancing treatments for the people of North Carolina and beyond.
Q: Describe your research in five words.
A: AI agents enable scientific discoveries.
Q: Who or what inspires you? Why?
A: Research for human beings. The world faces many threats in terms of food, energy, climate, health, and more. Some of these issues seems far away from us, but they actually impact everyone’s day-to-day lives. One of my dreams is that my research benefits more people.
Q: If you could pursue any other career, what would it be and why?
A: Working for a startup focused on AI for science that would affect a lot of people.
Research UNCovered delves into the lives of Carolina researchers from all disciplines and career levels, showcasing not only their research prowess but personal experiences in academia and beyond. Read more RUNC features here.