Originally from Zhejiang, China, Dr. Sun earned his bachelor's degree from China Pharmaceutical University. In 2020, he received his Doctor of Sciences at ETH Zurich with Christian Wolfrum, where he pioneered single-nucleus genomics tools for adipose tissue. His work mapped the cellular landscape of adipose tissue, uncovered a thermogenesis-regulating cell population, and revealed the first temperature-gated epigenetic circuit in mammals. As a joint postdoctoral fellow with Stephen Quake and Thomas Südhof at Stanford University, Dr. Sun dissected the cellular and molecular basis of memory engrams, identifying novel astrocyte-neuron interactions during memory consolidation.

Dr. Sun started his own lab at Stanford Endocrinology in September 2025 to explore how neural circuits regulate metabolic homeostasis and memory. Dr. Sun’s honors include the Pfizer Research Prize (2022), the Science & SciLifeLab Prize (2021), the ETH Medal (2020), and the Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad (2019).

Outside the lab, Wenfei enjoys hiking, observing wildlife, and exploring of new cultures and cuisines.