Our Team

We bring together researchers with diverse backgrounds in a collaborative and supportive environment focused on scientific rigor and independence.

Kai Chen, Ph.D.

Email: kchen90@sas.upenn.edu

Principal Investigator

Office: IAST 3003 (in Chemistry Complex)

Phone: 215-746-7253

Biosketch: Dr. Kai Chen received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2012 from Zhejiang University, where he conducted undergraduate research with Prof. Bingfeng Shi. He then continued research at Zhejiang University as a research scientist until 2015. Dr. Chen earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 2020 as a Resnick Fellow under the supervision of Prof. Frances Arnold (2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry). He subsequently completed postdoctoral training as a Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF) Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Jennifer Doudna (2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) at the University of California, Berkeley. In Jan 2026, Dr. Chen began his independent career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. The Chen Lab research integrates molecular and cell biology, protein engineering, and genome editing to develop biomolecular tools and delivery platforms for probing biological systems and advancing therapeutic development.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Honors and Awards: 2025 - Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) Award; 2021 - Life Sciences Research Foundation (LSRF) Postdoc Fellowship; 2020 - Milton and Francis Clauser Doctoral Prize; 2020 - Herbert Newby McCoy Award; 2020 - Outstanding Self-Financed Chinese Students Award; 2018 - Resnick Fellowship; 2016 - Grand Prize of Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award; 2010 - National Scholarship of China

Postdoctoral Researcher (2026-now)

ytzhao@sas.upenn.edu

Yutao Zhao, Ph.D.

B.S. in Chemistry, Nankai University (Advisors: Prof. Qilin Zhou and Prof. Shoufei Zhu)

Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Chicago (Advisor: Prof. Chuan He)

Master’s Student (2026-now)

huah2@sas.upenn.edu

Henry Hua

B.S. in Chemistry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Advisor: Dr. Filbert Totsingan)

Karen Mathews

Master’s Student (2026-now)

kmath3@sas.upenn.edu

B.S. in Chemistry & Physics, Bengaluru City University, St. Joseph’s College (Advisors: Dr. Libi Thomas and Ms. Christine Nigli)

2026 summer (est.)

Incoming Postdoc

B.S. in Applied Chemistry, Tianjin University

Ph.D. in Chemical Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC)

2026 summer (est.)

Incoming Postdoc

B.S. in Biotechnology, Jilin Agriculture University

M.S. in Bioengineering, Fudan University

Ph.D. in Engineering, Biology, and Medicine, Fudan University