Juliana Chan (science communicator)

Juliana Chan is a biologist, a science communicator, the founder of Asian Scientist, and the founder and CEO of Wildtype Media Group.

Early life and education

Chan graduated from the University of Cambridge with both a BA and an MA in natural science.[1] She graduated from MIT in 2010 with a PhD in biology.[2] After graduation, Chan interned at Changi General Hospital before coming to the realization that medicine was not her calling.[3] She sought out an education scholarship, receiving a fellowship from A*STAR, a Singaporean research institute, which led to a $750,000 startup grant; Chan was able to use this to start her own lab at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.[1]

Career

While working as a biomedical researcher at NTU, Chan started a blog called Asian Scientist.[4] She cited the need to escape from the "insularity and isolation" of scientific research in starting the blog. The blog became popular enough to lead to a partnership with the publishing house World Scientific Publishing, enabling Chan to turn Asian Scientist into a magazine and serve as its editor-in-chief.[5]

Chan founded Wildtype Media Group in 2018, leaving both her role as editor of Asian Scientist and running her research lab at NTU; Chan recognized the risk of taking on an entrepreneurial career but said she found a calling in helping to "make Asian scientists household names".[6] Wildtype is described as the first "STEM-focused media company in Singapore that provides professional science communication services to government agencies, industry, and academia in Singapore as well as the broader Asian region".[4]

Chan holds 4 patents in the United States[5] and has designed nanoparticles for drug delivery and developed systems to grow blood capillaries in microfluidic devices.[7] In 2015, Chan was appointed as a Young Global Leader, a program created by the World Economic Forum to recognize highly accomplished professionals in their field.[2]

Chan transitioned Wildtype to full remote work in August 2023, citing the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and calling remote work "the future of work".[8] She has also more recently transitioned into a being a LinkedIn coach, in order to help "executives build their professional brand".[6]

Awards and honors

• In 2011, Chan was the recipient of an L’Oréal For Women in Science National Fellowship award[9]
• In 2013, Chan won the Singapore Youth Award[9]
• In 2014, Chan was recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of the top 10 Innovators Under 35[3]
• In 2018, Chan was recognized by Tatler Asia's Gen.T list which honors future Asian leaders[10]