Chun Han

Chun Han is the Nancy M. and Samuel C. Fleming Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University, affiliated with the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology. He holds membership in three graduate fields: Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology (BMCB); Genetics, Genomics and Development (GG&D); and Neurobiology and Behavior (NB&B). His research focuses on understanding gene function in model organisms using advanced genetic tools like CRISPR and innovative techniques such as MAGIC (gRNA-infused crossing over) to study human disease mechanisms through Drosophila models.

Education: B.S. in Cell Biology and Genetics from Peking University (China), Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (under Xinhua Lin), and postdoctoral research at UCSF (Jan Lab). He joined Cornell’s faculty in 2013. Teaches BIOG 4990: Independent Undergraduate Research in Biology.

Research interests emphasize morphogen gradient formation, neural circuitry, and systems-level biology. Recent work explores seizure mechanisms in zebrafish, Drosophila locomotion mechanics, and theoretical frameworks for neural representation alignment. His articles bridge molecular genetics with computational neuroscience, applying CRISPR innovations and biomechanical modeling to advance biological understanding.

Lab activities involve developing novel genetic tools and analyzing complex biological systems. Collaborates across disciplines to integrate experimental and computational approaches, with notable contributions to fruit fly-based disease research and gait analysis in insects.