Ji-Xin Cheng attended University of Science and Technology of China from 1989 to 1994 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Science and Technology, China in 1998. In 2000, he joined Sunney Xie’s group at Harvard University as a postdoc. Cheng joined Purdue University in 2003 as Assistant Professor, promoted to Associate Professor in 2009 and Full Professor in 2013. He joined Boston University as the Inaugural Moustakas Chair Professor in Photonics and Optoelectronics in 2017.

Ji-Xin Cheng devoted his career to transforming molecular spectroscopy from an in vitro analytical tool to a set of in vivo label-free chemical imaging platforms for discovery of hidden signatures inside living systems and further translation of the discoveries into medical diagnosis and treatment strategies.

He is a Fellow of OSA and recipient of the 2019 Ellis R. Lippincott Award. Other awards include the Craver Award from the Coblentz Society, and the 2020 Pittsburgh Spectroscopy Award.