Jie An’s foray into research started during his undergraduate studies at the National University of Singapore, where he investigated the pharmacokinetics of drug compounds, developed a method for quantifying donor strength of organometallic ligands using N-heterocyclic carbene palladium complexes, and synthesised ‘Janus-type’ nanorods. During his PhD studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, he worked on the interaction between nanoparticles, biomolecules and cells, and in particular explored the use of nanoparticles to influence protein folding, cellular phenotypic and genotypic changes.

Jie An then spent about two years at Mitsui Chemicals undertaking polymer and nanoparticle research, exploring the marketability and applications of propriety technologies in ophthalmic lens, drug delivery systems and food packaging. His work has cumulated in the publication in several peer-reviewed scientific journals and he is an inventor of an international patent application (PCT/JP2017/036687).

At his current position at Davies Collison Cave, Jie An is part of the chemistry/life-sciences group where he is involved in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in pharmaceutical sciences, nanotechnology, catalysts, material sciences, medical devices and food technology.