Sad News: Chandler "Chan" Fulton
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share the sad news that Chandler "Chan" Fulton, Professor Emeritus of Biology, passed away on February 21, 2026 at the age of 91. Chan died peacefully at his home, in the loving presence of his wife and long-time scientific partner, Elaine Lai.
Chan was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934. He completed his undergraduate degree at Brown University (1956) and his doctorate at Rockefeller Institute (now Rockefeller University) in 1960, and joined Brandeis that same year. Chan devoted his career to understanding one of biology's most fundamental questions: how does a single cell differentiate? To tackle this, he chose an unconventional model system, Naegleria gruberi, a freshwater microorganism capable of transforming from a walking amoeba to a swimming flagellate in under two hours. Beginning in the 1960s, his lab focused on dissecting how Naegleria orchestrates this remarkable transformation, resulting in work that became a paradigm for studying gene regulation and cell differentiation.
Chan’s research extended to the architecture of the cell, and led to work that revealed deep evolutionary principles about how cells organize their internal structure. In collaboration with other labs, sequencing of the Naegleria gruberi genome was completed in 2010, a landmark achievement which illuminated the organism's remarkable genetic versatility and helped establish it as a model for understanding early eukaryotic evolution. Chan's lab also discovered a small protein in Naegleria that triggers apoptosis, the programmed cell death pathway that many cancer cells evade through oncogene mutations. Because this protein acts independently of those mutations, it offered a potential way to kill tumor cells resistant to conventional targeted therapies.
Central to Chan's scientific story was his partnership with Elaine Lai (PhD), his wife, collaborator, and closest colleague. Together, they ran their laboratory at Brandeis for decades, long after Chan transitioned to emeritus status, and continuing until his passing. Their lab was always a vibrant scientific community, a place where undergraduates learned to do real research, where visiting scientists from around the world came to be trained in the techniques of working with Naegleria, and where curiosity and rigor were the constant standards. The warmth and generosity of their shared laboratory reflected the depth of their partnership. Elaine's contributions to the science are inseparable from Chan's own, and together they shaped a body of work that has impacted numerous scientists in different fields.
Chan's passion for biology extended naturally to his roles as a teacher and textbook author. His 1970 volume Amebo-Flagellates as Research Partners: The Laboratory Biology of Naegleria and Tetramitus became an essential reference for anyone working with these organisms. His later book, Explorations in Developmental Biology (Harvard University Press, 1976), co-written with his colleague Attila Klein, was a genuinely innovative undergraduate text that replaced the standard survey approach with something far more ambitious: original research papers, carefully contextualized, so that students could engage with biology the way scientists actually do – as a fascinating mystery to be solved. The book was built on Chan’s conviction that the excitement of discovery is the best teacher.
Chan served as Chair of the Biology Department at Brandeis in the mid-1980s, where his organizational talents and collaborative spirit helped shape the intellectual environment of the department. But perhaps his most lasting institutional contribution was simply his ongoing presence: even as an emeritus professor, Chan remained deeply engaged with the life of the department, establishing close relationships with the administrative staff and mentoring both junior and senior faculty with the same attentiveness and encouragement he brought to his students. Many colleagues have described his support as quietly transformative, a steady source of enthusiasm, wisdom, and genuine belief in their work.
Chan’s life was one of sustained intellectual passion, generous mentorship, and joyful collaboration. He will be deeply and sorely missed by the Brandeis community, by the many scientists he trained and inspired, and by all who knew him.
Chan Fulton is predeceased by his sister, Margaret Fulton Fels; and former wife, Margaretta Lyon Fulton. He is survived by his brother, William; his three children, Thomas, Margot, and William; his daughters-in-law, Jessica and Kaysh; his five grandchildren, Gillian, Levi, Gabriel, David and James; and by his wife, Elaine Lai Fulton. A Celebration of his Life will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 2:00 pm, at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church, Weston. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations, “In memory of Chandler,” may be made to Mass Audubon, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 or online at MassAudubon.org.
I am grateful to Bruce Goode and colleagues in the Department of Biology, and to Chan’s family for their contributions to this memoriam.
Sincerely,
Carol A. Fierke
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs