Szu-Yu Chen is originally from Taiwan, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002 from National Taiwan Normal University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she spent a few years as a high school music teacher before deciding to pursue graduate studies in the USA. She earned a Master of Music in 2008 from Cleveland State University and a Doctor of Music in Music Theory and Composition from Florida State University in 2016. During her studies at FSU, she worked as a graduate assistant in Liberal Studies and later joined the Honors Program in 2018 as a part-time staff member. In her free time, Szu-Yu enjoys cooking, shopping, and spending time with family and friends.