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John Chittum was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. He earned his B.S. in Biotechnology from James Madison University in 2018, followed by a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University. During his doctoral studies in the lab of Professor Umesh Desai, John investigated the interactions between glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)—such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate—and various proteins, including the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor, using GAG microarray technology.

John is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Joe Barchi at the Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Frederick, Maryland. His research focuses on the development and functionalization of gold nanoparticles coated with β-glucans for use as vaccines against pancreatic cancer.