Chan moved to New York City at the age of eight and spent her childhood in North America. Chan studied at Baylor University and graduated in 1993. Initially a music majorspecialising in the violinshe soon became interested in chemistry. 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. Chan completed postdoctoral research in the ceramics division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She has continued to play violin in her church orchestra.