Dr Ch'ng Jun Hong

Teaching Philosophy

"People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care"

Biography

I did my BSc and PhD at NUS and re-joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology after my postdoctoral training in Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Pivoting from malaria to biofilms, I gained additional postdoctoral training at SCELSE-NUS and subsequently started the Laboratory of Microbial Biofilms to further pursue my research alongside my primary call - to be an Educator! I greatly enjoy the privilege of journeying with students as they come to appreciate the beauty of microbes, how resilient and useful they are, and how important for our health and the planet’s. As a supervisor to research students, I get a front row seat and love watching students grow to take control of their research projects to make real advances in science, and in so doing, learn about who they are and how much they can achieve. Leading the Department’s Educational Excellence Program allows me to work with an exceptionally talented, motivated and like-minded group of educators who love engaging students through experiences that make an impact long after class is over!

Courses Taught

GEC1011|GEH1043: Microbes Which Changed Human History (course coordinator)

LSM3225: Molecular Microbiology in Human Diseases (lecturer for parasitology)

LSM3228: Microbiomes and Biofilms (course coordinator)

LSM3242: Translational Microbiology (lecturer for bioremediation)

MIH2202: The Landscape of Health - Evolving Spaces and Technology (course co-coordinator)

M1-M3 Collaborative Learning Cases

SSG-CET: My microbes and me, in sickness and in health

Pedagogical Research Interests:

The three ‘cares’ in effective higher education teaching

Student feedback in course redevelopment and learning

Card games to promote microbiology across disciplines (No Guts No Glory!)

Disciplinary Research Interests:

Biofilms of the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis

Inter-species communication and multi-species biofilm signaling

Anti-biofilm strategies, drug screening and development

Malaria biology, pathobiology and therapeutics

Recent Publications

1. Kao PHN, Ch'ng JH, Chong KKL, Wong SL, Kline KA. Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus mixed species infection attenuates pathogen-specific neutrophil responses and impairs bacterial clearance. bioRxiv. 2022
2. Ch'ng JH, Muthu M, Chong KKL, Wong JJ, Tan CAZ, Koh ZJS, Lopez D, Matysik A, Nair ZJ, Barkham T, Wang Y, Kline KA. Heme cross-feeding can augment Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis dual species biofilms. ISME J. 2022; 16:2015-2026
3. Quintana MDP, Ch'ng JH. Measuring Rosetting Inhibition in Plasmodium falciparum Parasites Using a Flow Cytometry-Based Assay. Methods Mol Biol. 2022; 2470:493-503.
4. Ch’ng JH, Moll K, Wyss K, Hammar U, Ryden M, Kampe M, Farnert A, Wahlgren M. Enhanced virulence of Plasmodium falciparum in blood of diabetic patients. PLoS One. 2021 Jun 17;16(6):e0249666.
5. Ch’ng JH, Chong KKL, Lam LN, Wong JJ, Kline KA. Biofilm-associated infection by enterococci. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2019 Jan 17(2):82-94.
6. Quintana MDP, Ch’ng JH, Zandian A, Imam M, Hultenby K, Theisen M, Nilsson P, Qundos U, Moll K, Chan S, Wahlgren M. SURGE complex of Plasmodium falciparum in the rhoptry-neck (SURFIN4.2-RON4-GLURP) contributes to merozoite invasion. PLoS One. 2018 August 13(8):e0201669
7. Quintana MDP, Ch'ng JH, Moll K, Zandian A, Nilsson P, Idris ZM, Saiwaew S, Qundos U, Wahlgren M. Antibodies in children with malaria to PfEMP1, RIFIN and SURFIN expressed at the Plasmodium falciparum parasitized red blood cell surface. Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 19;8(1):3262

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