Jefferson Kar Fai Chan

Jefferson Kar Fai Chan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with affiliations to the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. His research bridges chemistry and biomedical applications.

• BSc in Chemistry, University of British Columbia (2006)
• PhD in Chemistry, Simon Fraser University (2011)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (2011-2014)

Research focuses on:

• Design of bioorthogonal chemical probes for photoacoustic imaging in cancer diagnostics and metastasis studies.
• Development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting Tuberculosis enzymatic pathways to address drug resistance.
• Investigation of metal ion signaling, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease using chemical and protein-based probes.

Key article themes include porphyrin-based sensors, logic-gated delivery systems, and activity-dependent biomarkers for cancer and aging research.

• Scientific Recognition: Recipient of the NSF CAREER Award (2018), Sloan Research Fellowship (2017), and Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2022). Multiple teaching accolades (2020, 2021) and early-career research awards (2006-2013).

Labs & Collaborations: Integrates expertise in organic synthesis, mechanistic enzymology, and in vivo imaging at the Beckman Institute. Grants include NSF CAREER and Research Corporation Scialog.