Peter Chien studies molecular mechanisms of stress responses and protein turnover motivated by bacterial systems. He was trained in prions and biophysics with graduate advisor Jonathan Weissman at UCSF, turning to exploring energy-dependent protein remodeling with Tania Baker at MIT for his postdoc. His lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst currently focuses on protein degradation and quality control in Caulobacter crescentus, pathogenic bacteria, and mitochondria.