Ilean Chai

Ilean Chai has a wealth of experience in the field of biosciences. Ilean began their career in 2011 as an Undergraduate Intern at The Scripps Research Institute, where they worked under the advisement of Dennis W. Wolan, Ph.D. Ilean then moved to University of California, San Diego in 2012, where they worked as an Undergraduate Research Intern under the advisement of Tracy M. Handel, Ph.D. During this time, they supervised, led, and trained undergraduates in molecular cloning, protein gels, and routine lab tasks. Ilean also purified recombinantly expressed proteins using gravity flow, FPLC, HPLC, and inclusion body purification techniques, and generated a library of chemokine mutants using PCR. In 2013, they became a Graduate Student at The Scripps Research Institute. Ilean then moved to Gilead Sciences in 2017, where they held the positions of Senior Research Associate I and Senior Research Associate II. In 2021, they became a Senior Research Associate at Calico Life Sciences, and in 2022 they assumed the role of Associate Director Business Development at Wuxi Biortus Biosciences Co., Ltd.

Ilean Chai obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry, Cell Biology from UC San Diego in 2012. Ilean then went on to receive a Master of Science degree in Chemical and Structural Biology from UC San Diego in 2017. In 2016, they obtained a Wilderness First Aid certification from NOLS Wilderness Medicine.