Dr. Jeffrey Chen BSc, PhD

Dr. Jeffrey Chen is a molecular microbiologist with over 15 years of research experience working with mycobacteria - the genus of bacteria whose members cause human and bovine tuberculosis (TB), leprosy, Buruli ulcer, non-tuberculous mycobacterioses (NTM) and Johne’s disease in ruminants. He holds a BSc (Honours) in marine biology and biochemistry from Dalhousie University, and a PhD in molecular genetics and microbiology from the University of Toronto. After graduation, he did post-doctoral research on TB at the Global Health Institute of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. Throughout his research career, Dr. Chen has focused on better understanding mycobacterial genetics, physiology, mechanisms of virulence and antimicrobial resistance, and has sought to develop more effective TB vaccines and therapies. Dr. Chen joined VIDO in 2014 to establish and lead the Mycobacterial Pathogenesis and Tuberculosis Research Program.