Associate Professor Gan Yunn Hwen promoted to full Professor
Published: 01 Jul 2026
Congratulations to Associate Professor Gan Yunn Hwen on her promotion to full Professor with effect from 1 July 2026.
Professor Gan Yunn Hwen is an internationally recognised expert in medical microbiology and immunology. She holds key leadership roles, including Co-Chair of the Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme and former inaugural Assistant Dean (Equal Opportunities and Career Development), reflecting both her academic distinction and her commitment to the development of the School.
Prof Gan is widely regarded as a leading authority in melioidosis, a serious tropical infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. She established the first mucosal pre-clinical model for studying this disease and has since made pioneering contributions to understanding both pathogen virulence and host immune responses. Her work elucidated key mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity, including the discovery of regulatory pathways governing critical secretion systems and the role of glutathione deficiency in increasing susceptibility among patients with diabetes. These seminal findings have significantly advanced the field’s understanding of host–pathogen interactions in infectious diseases.
More recently, Prof Gan has focused her research on addressing emerging and clinically significant pathogens, such as hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, a major cause of liver abscesses in Asia. Her research team examines bacterial virulence, host–microbe interactions, spread of antibiotic resistance within bacterial communities, and the concerning convergence of multidrug resistance and hypervirulence in clinical settings. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with clinicians, chemists, and computational scientists, her research group is also developing innovative strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, including probiotic-based approaches and the use of AI-driven drug synergy testing.
Beyond her research, Prof Gan has made substantial contributions to academic leadership, mentorship, and translational science. She serves on editorial boards of leading microbiology journals and oversees biological safety in various capacities within and beyond the university. She has played a key role in advancing collaborative research programmes that bridge basic science and clinical application, particularly in infectious diseases. Her strong publication record and citation impact further attest to her influence in the field. She has published extensively as senior author in high-impact journals, including the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Nature Communications, Cell Host & Microbe, Nucleic Acids Research and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Through her sustained contributions to research, education, and leadership, Prof Gan continues to advance scientific knowledge and improve healthcare outcomes in Singapore and beyond.
