Dr. Enrique Brandan earned his degree in Biology from Universidad de Chile in 1978 and a PhD in Cell Biology from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 1985. He conducted postdoctoral training in the United States at Saint Louis University and the University of Massachusetts.

In 1988, he joined the Faculty of Biological Sciences at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he became Full Professor in 1999. Since 2019, he has been part of Fundación Ciencia & Vida.

Dr. Brandan is a member of the Chilean Academy of Sciences (2007) and the Latin American Academy of Sciences (2017). He was an International Research Scholar of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (1997–2006) and received the Chilean Presidential Chair in Sciences (1998–2001). His research has been supported by international and national institutions, including MDA, HHMI, NSF, Fogarty International, TWAS, Volkswagen-Stiftung, IFS, and ANID (formerly CONICYT).

He served as President of the Chilean Society for Cell Biology and held leadership roles at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, including Chair of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Department. Students have recognized his teaching by naming him "Best Teacher" twice, and he has mentored more than 40 graduate and undergraduate students.