Alina Chan
About Alina Chan
Alina Chan is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, specializing in synthetic biology and gene therapy. She has a strong academic background, having completed her PhD at The University of British Columbia and held postdoctoral positions at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute.
Work at Broad Institute
Alina Chan has been working at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a Postdoctoral Fellow since 2018. In this role, she focuses on creating next-generation vectors for human gene therapy, which aims to advance genome engineering practices. Her work includes prototyping human artificial chromosomes and contributing to the field of synthetic biology. Chan is also part of the winning team in the Shark Tank Broad Institute competition, demonstrating her innovative problem-solving skills.
Education and Expertise
Alina Chan studied at The University of British Columbia, where she earned her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 2005 to 2009. She continued her studies at the same institution, achieving a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from 2009 to 2014. During her academic career, she also worked in various research labs, including the Philip Hieter Lab and the Yossef Av-Gay Lab, gaining extensive experience in genetic engineering and molecular biology.
Previous Research Experience
Before joining the Broad Institute, Alina Chan worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School from 2014 to 2017 in the Pamela Silver Lab. She also served as a Research Assistant at the National University of Singapore in 2009 for two months in the Paul Matsudaira Lab. Her early research experience includes working as an Undergraduate Research Student at The University of British Columbia in 2007-2008.
Achievements in Research and Community Engagement
Alina Chan has contributed to obtaining two grants that support research in gene therapy and vector engineering. She has presented her research findings at four international conferences, showcasing her expertise in vector engineering. Additionally, she co-authored an open letter in Science Magazine, contributing to public discourse within the scientific community. Chan has been featured in three interviews that highlight her contributions to the field of genetic engineering.