Ka Chun Li (nickname: Afa) is an Applications Scientist in the Pathogen Program at EIT. In his role, he contributes to the development and optimisation of sequencing-based diagnostic workflows for infectious diseases, supporting the design, validation and translation of novel metagenomic technologies into practical diagnostic solutions. He works closely with multidisciplinary teams across molecular biology, microbiology, bioinformatics and engineering to develop rapid and sensitive approaches for pathogen detection.

Prior to joining EIT, Ka Chun worked as a Scientist at VirTus Respiratory Research, where he supported laboratory operations for clinical and pre-clinical respiratory research, performing molecular and immunological assays, assay validation and data analysis. Before this, he was part of the Aseptic Manufacturing Science and Technology department at Novo Nordisk in Denmark, where he worked on manufacturing science projects, data-driven process improvements and aseptic production support. He also previously worked as a Junior Scientist at ProtonDx, contributing to the development of rapid molecular diagnostic assays for infectious diseases, including optimisation of sample preparation and isothermal amplification workflows.

Ka Chun holds an MSc in Infection and Immunity from University College London, where he completed his research project at the Francis Crick Institute on hepatitis B virus genotyping. He also holds a BSc in Microbiology from Imperial College London.

Outside of work, Ka Chun enjoys travelling, photography and exploring new cultures. He is passionate about translating scientific innovation into technologies that improve patient care and enjoys continually learning new techniques across molecular diagnostics and biotechnology.