In Memory of Dr. Chun-Jen (James) Chung — A Devoted Father, Husband, and Brilliant Engineer

Support the Education Fund for His Three Children

On April 1st, 2025, our beloved friend and colleague, Dr. Chun-Jen (James) Chung, passed away after a courageous four-year battle with a rare and aggressive cancer. He was only in his 50s. His passing left behind his loving wife, Chen-Chen Sun, and three children (ages 17, 15, and 12), who were the center of his world.

Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation, James never gave up. He continued working full-time as a Senior Software Architect at Futurewei (Seattle) and later as a Senior Researcher at Huawei Canada. Even as his cancer worsened and spread to his brain, James commuted long distances between Canada and the U.S. for treatment, refusing to take time off. He sacrificed nearly all his time to support his family.

James' wife took on the caregiving and parenting tasks by herself, overseeing his medical treatments and raising their three children while maintaining the family unit.

A Legacy of Excellence and Kindness

James earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Arizona State University and was a postdoctoral researcher. He built a remarkable career in academia and industry, contributing to cutting-edge fields such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI, and software-defined networking. His work was widely respected, with over 15 academic publications, a U.S. patent, and recognition through prestigious honors, including the NSF SBIR, NSF I-Corps, and the Futurewei Gold Medal.

But James’s brilliance was only part of what made him so special.

He was deeply kind, humble, and warm-hearted. He always treated colleagues and friends with genuine respect and compassion. Whether offering mentorship, technical advice, or simply a quiet gesture of support, James was someone people could trust and rely on. He built lasting relationships across every team and workplace he touched and never hesitated to lift others — even while facing his immense challenges.

His legacy lives on not just in his technical innovations but in the hearts of those who knew him.

Why We Are Raising Funds

Throughout his illness, the family exhausted their life savings on medical treatments. Now, after his passing, James' wife — with minimal income — struggles to maintain housing, pay bills, and ensure that their children’s education continues uninterrupted.

We are raising funds to:

• Establish an education fund for James’s three children so they can complete high school and attend college.

• Provide household and living support, including mortgage payments and basic needs during this difficult transition

How You Can Help

Your donation—no matter the size—makes a real impact. It will help ensure that James’s dream for his children’s futures lives on and bring peace of mind to a family facing grief and uncertainty.

Please consider contributing or sharing this campaign. 100% of donations will go directly to the Chung family’s account.

This fundraiser is initiated by Dr. Dijiang Huang, James’s Ph.D. advisor and long-time mentor, together with several former lab mates from Arizona State University (Abdullah Alshalan, Adel Alshamrani, Ankur Chowdhary, Yuli Deng, Bing Li, Duo Lu, Sandeep Pisharody, Yang Qin, Abdulhakim Sabur, Zhijie Wang, Huijun Wu, Tianyi Xing, Zhen Zeng, and Zhibin Zhou).

A Note from His Advisor

As James’s Ph.D. advisor and close friend for more than a decade, I had the privilege of witnessing not only his intellectual brilliance but also his unwavering kindness, humility, and strength. James was the kind of student every advisor hopes for — driven, thoughtful, and always ready to help those around him. His resilience during his illness was nothing short of extraordinary. Even in his most difficult moments, he thought about his family and colleagues first. It’s an honor to carry forward his legacy through this fundraiser.

— Dr. Dijiang Huang

Remembering James

James was a great mentor — a very hardworking and down-to-earth person. I learned a lot from him during the time I worked with him at ASU. He was always approachable and supported other members of the SNAC Lab.

I recall many great moments together building and fixing things, and our LA trip together to attend a tech conference. His contributions to the field of cloud computing, cybersecurity education, and research have helped many students and researchers.

I will always remember him as an elder brother who helped make my Ph.D. journey successful. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Rest in peace, brother.

— Dr. Ankur Chowdhary