Chan moved to New York City at the age of eight and spent her childhood in North America.[1] Chan studied at Baylor University and graduated in 1993.[2][3] Initially a music major – specialising in the violin – she soon became interested in chemistry.[4] At Baylor, Chan worked under the supervision of Carlos Manzanares and Marianna Busch. She earned her doctoral degree under the supervision of Susan M. Kauzlarich at the University of California, Davis in 1998.[5] Chan completed postdoctoral research in the ceramics division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.[6] She has continued to play violin in her church orchestra.[4]
At the Baylor University, Chan investigates the physical properties of magnetic materials synthesized in her laboratory, with a focus on the growth and characterization of quantum materials .[8] She has developed new techniques to grow single crystals of intermetallic phases. She was the Guest Editor of the American Chemical SocietyInorganic Chemistry theme issue on Solid-State Inorganic Chemistry.[9] In 2019 Chan was inducted into the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Chan, Julia Y. (1998-11-16). "Structure and ferromagnetism of the rare-earth zintl compounds: Yb14MnSb11 and Yb14MnBi11". Chemistry of Materials. 10 (11): 3583–3588. doi:10.1021/cm980358i.
Chan, Julia Y. (1997-12-16). "Colossal Magnetoresistance in the Transition-Metal Zintl Compound Eu14MnSb11". Chemistry of Materials. 9 (12): 3132–3135. doi:10.1021/cm9704241.
