Research Interests
Early cancer detection and minimal residual disease monitoring using liquid biopsy; global gene expression analysis, pathway mapping, and disease interception; machine learning and artificial intelligence in biomarker and drug discovery; natural products and anticancer phytocompounds as novel therapeutic agents.
Current Affiliations
Codirector, National Cancer Research Institute Singapore; principal investigator, laboratory of cancer epigenome, medical science, National Cancer Centre Singapore; professor, laboratory of cancer therapeutics, cancer and stem cell biology program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; advisor, translational pathology, pathology academic clinical programme, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore; senior group leader, laboratory of biodiversity genomics, Genome Institute of Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; senior principal investigator, laboratory of chromatin therapeutics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore; chair professor, China Medical University, Taiwan; adjunct professor, Baylor College of Medicine; adjunct professor, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Previous Positions
Codirector, SingHealth Duke-NUS Regenerative Medicine Institute of Singapore (2022-2023); visiting professor, Kumamoto University, Japan (2019-2021); deputy director of global relations (2018-2023) and deputy director of scientific research (2015-2018), SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine, Singapore; senior principal investigator, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (2013-2020); adjunct professor, Center for Cancer Genomics and Quantitative Biology (2011-2013), director, VARI International (2008-2009), distinguished scientific investigator, Center for Genomics and Computational Biology (2005-2010), founding head of cytogenetics and sequencing laboratories (2000-2004) and deputy director for research operations (2003-2006), senior scientific investigator (2000-2005), Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan; adjunct professor, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (2010-2013); director and principal investigator, NCCS-VARI Translational Research Laboratory, National Cancer Centre Singapore (2007-2013); group director for translational research, SingHealth (2010-2012); associate professor (docent) in medical genetics, Karolinska Institute, Sweden (1999).
Education
PhD, medical genetics, Karolinska Institute, Sweden (1997); MBBS, medicine, University of Queensland, Australia (1992); Bachelor, medical science, University of Tasmania, Australia (1989).
Postdoctoral Training
PhD research scholar, molecular medicine (1994-1997), Karolinska Institute, Sweden; internship, Princess Alexandra Hospital (1991-1993), Queensland, Australia.
Selected AACR Services, Honors, and Awards
Member, AACR Special Conferences Committee (2024-2027); cochair, AACR Annual Meeting Program Committee (2021-2022); recipient, AACR Team Science Award (2018); member, AACR Annual Meeting Education Committee (2016-2017).
Selected Non-AACR Services, Honors, and Awards
Member of oversight committee, SingHealth Technology Incubator (2024-present); member of strategic planning group, Saudi National Institute of Health (2023-present); recipient, National Day Award, The Public Administration Medal (2025); recipient, Research Team Award 1st Prize Winner, AMC Research Award (2025); member, International Advisory Council, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) (2025); member, Oversight Committee, SingHealth Technology Incubator (SCOUT) (2024); member, Strategic Planning Group, Saudi National Institute of Health (2023); member, SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre (SDCTC) (2021); recipient, Japanese Cancer Association International Award (2021); member, Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium (STCC) (2020-2023); member, NMRC Open Fund Individual Research (OF-IRG) Local Review Panel Singapore (LRP) (2018-2022); cochair, SingHealth Duke-NUS National Cancer Research Institute of Singapore (NCRIS) (2018); member, Scientific Review Committee, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (2016); chair, NCCS Research Committee, Singapore (2016); recipient, President’s Science Award (2015); recipient, SingHealth Excellence Awards, Distinguished Researcher Award (2015).