MBI welcomes new PI Chii Jou Chan
Asst. Prof. Chan investigates the mechanobiology of mammalian development
MBI SciComms | OCT 2020
MBI would like to welcome Chii Jou (Joe) Chan as a new Principal Investigator starting in January 2021, with a joint appointment as Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Science, NUS.
“I’m thrilled to return to Singapore to start my lab at MBI, which has always impressed me with its highly stimulating and collaborative research environment. I hope to bring my expertise in biophysics and development to do exciting science with the MBI community and other expert scientists across the NUS campus.”
Chii Jou (Joe) Chan was trained in theoretical soft matter physics at the University of Cambridge (B.A., M.Phil.). For his Ph.D. with Prof. Jochen Guck at Cambridge and TU Dresden (Germany), he studied the mechanical and optical properties of living cells and nuclei, using biomechanical tools (optical stretcher, microfluidics) and biophotonics.
Inspired by how physical forces shape early development of living organisms, he joined the group of Dr. Takashi Hiiragi as an EIPOD fellow at EMBL Heidelberg (Germany), where he made a major discovery in hydraulic regulation of mouse embryo size and cell fate specification (Nature 2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1309-x). His interdisciplinary productivity is reflected in the diversity of his collaborators (cell and developmental biologists, experimental biophysicists, theorists) across the world.
Joe has been awarded the Singaporean Teaching and Academic Research Talent (START) Inauguration Grant from the Ministry of Education and NUS. This scheme identifies talented Singaporean academics working overseas who are ready to start their independent research career.
“Joe’s scientific background across physics and biology will allow him to add a new direction for MBI’s research toward understanding the mechano-physical basis of mammalian development” said MBI Director Prof Rong Li.
At MBI, Joe’s research lab on Early Mammalian Development and Tissue Hydraulics will investigate the mechanobiology of early mouse development, focusing primarily on oogenesis. Currently, he is looking to recruit interested postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, and laboratory technicians. Please contact Joe at chii.chan@embl.de and also check the MBI careers page for new job postings.
MBI welcomes new Principal Investigator Chii Jou Chan
MBI would like to welcome Chii Jou (Joe) Chan as a new Principal Investigator starting in January 2021, with a joint appointment as Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Science, NUS.
