Leslie Chan

Dr. Leslie Chan is an Assistant Professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Engineering and Emory University School of Medicine. Her research program integrates core and emerging principles from drug delivery, biomaterials development, and chemical biology to engineer diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for infectious disease, microbiome dysbiosis, and inflammatory diseases.

Dr. Chan received her educational training from prestigious institutions:

• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech (2009)
• Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington (2015) with Professor Suzie Pun
• Postdoctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Professor Sangeeta Bhatia

Dr. Chan's research focuses on immunoengineering and nanomedicine, with additional interests in smart materials, infectious disease, microbiome, and inflammation. Her lab uses molecular and nanoscale engineering to develop biosensing and drug delivery strategies to address gastrointestinal diseases, infections, and autoimmune disorders. The lab is housed in the Petit H. Parker Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB) on the Georgia Tech campus, where they are part of a vibrant, collaborative research community.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on activity-based diagnostics for infectious disease and microbiome health, nanoscale materials for detecting and treating infections, and engineering synthetic breath biomarkers for respiratory disease. Her work spans from fundamental biomaterials development to translational applications for clinical impact.

Dr. Chan has been recognized with significant awards including:

• NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award
• Caltech Young Investigator Lecturer Award in Engineering and Applied Sciences

Dr. Chan is actively mentoring graduate students including Jaibyung Choi, Vishal Manickam, and Khoi Le. Her lab is currently developing biosensing and drug delivery strategies for gastrointestinal disease, ingestible probes for breath-based detection of gastrointestinal diseases, and probes for breath-based detection of respiratory disease. The Chan Lab is also hiring postdoctoral fellows and research technicians with backgrounds in drug delivery, biomaterials, chemistry, or related areas.