Leon Chan
About Leon Chan
Leon Chan is a scientist with expertise in molecular genetics, currently working at Octant in Los Angeles since 2017. He holds a PhD from MIT and has a background in Next Generation Sequencing, Synthetic Biology, and RNA Biology.
Work at Octant
Leon Chan has been employed as a Scientist at Octant since 2017. Based in Los Angeles, he has contributed to various projects within the organization for a duration of seven years. His work at Octant focuses on advancing research in molecular genetics and synthetic biology.
Education and Expertise
Leon Chan earned his PhD in Molecular Genetics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied from 2004 to 2010. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics, Mathematics, and English from the University of California, Berkeley, completed between 1996 and 2000. His expertise includes Next Generation Sequencing, Synthetic Biology, and RNA Biology.
Background
Before joining Octant, Leon Chan worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Programmer/Technician from 2002 to 2004 and as a Graduate Student from 2004 to 2010. He later served as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley from 2011 to 2017, where he completed his postdoctoral work in Karsten Weis's lab.
Achievements
During his academic career, Leon Chan made significant contributions to the field of molecular genetics. He elucidated how cells translate spatial information into chemical signals related to mitotic checkpoints and developed tools to measure the dynamics of the transcriptome. Additionally, he helped construct the first designed synthetic genome and organism in Drew Endy's lab at MIT.
Personal Interests
Outside of his professional work, Leon Chan enjoys rock climbing and mixing cocktails. He is also a cat owner, reflecting his personal interests and hobbies.