20 Jan Biomedical Systems Engineer Phuong Le, PhD, Joins the Monell Center
For immediate release
Contact: Karen Kreeger, kkreeger@monell.org
PHILADELPHIA (January 20, 2026) – The Monell Chemical Senses Center welcomes Phuong Le, PhD, as Assistant Member and its newest faculty member. Trained as a biomedical systems engineer, she joins Monell from the University of California, San Diego. Le’s expertise lies in developing quantitative, single-molecule imaging techniques and nanotechnology probes called quantum dots to observe and quantify the characteristics of individual molecules and their role in the decision-making process of cells. This is the very essence of life: cells pay attention to internal and external molecular signals to choose among such different paths as growth, division, differentiation, and death. Using this technique, integrated with stem cell models and machine learning approaches, Le is undertaking pioneering studies to determine the underlying mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and other disorders to help find solutions to prevent them.
Phuong Le, PhD
Quantum dots are nanoparticles made from semiconducting materials. Their tiny size – a million times smaller than a pin head – allows for the capability to control physical properties, such as their color. For example, quantum dots could be used to tag a protein in an olfactory neuron for biochemical analysis. Dots allow for color shades of molecular markers that are more stable compared to older varieties, which is invaluable in applications ranging from large color displays to live-cell imaging.
“To be able to see cells of interest at the resolution of a single molecule is a critical next step, especially in such leading-edge sensory fields as metabolic health, nutrition, and food choice,” said Le. “We need to get the micro view of the health consequences of obesity and diabetes as well as the macro view.”
Millions of people around the globe are also grappling with losing their senses of taste and smell for many reasons. Decline in motor function and cognitive abilities is a hallmark of such neurodegenerative disorders as Parkinson’s disease. However, Monell researchers and colleagues worldwide are learning that loss of taste and smell often precedes motor and cognitive symptoms. “My laboratory will be seeking to better understand how chemosensory processes influence the molecular development of neurodegenerative diseases,” said Le.
Currently a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Transition Award fellow, Le has received numerous honors, including being named a Schmidt Science Fellow, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust; an Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI fellowship; an Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship from the National Science Foundation, and a Henry A. Jastro Graduate Research Award.
Le is an avid mentor concentrating on science career programs aimed at younger students, including the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)’s Project Aspire and GAMES camp. She has organized and led workshops introducing elementary and middle school girls to engineering concepts through hands-on activities. She is also a member of SWE and has been an active Schmidt Science Fellow since 2020.
Le obtained her doctorate in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, after which she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego.
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About Monell Chemical Senses Center
The Monell Chemical Senses Center is an independent nonprofit research institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1968 to advance and share discoveries in the science of the chemical senses of smell, taste, chemesthesis, and interoception to solve the world’s health, societal, and environmental challenges.