Ch'ng Toh Hean

Ch'ng Toh Hean serves as a Nanyang Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, holding dual appointments at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and the School of Biological Sciences. Awarded the prestigious Nanyang Assistant Professorship in 2014, he operates within NTU's Neuroscience & Mental Health research group focusing on molecular mechanisms of long-term memory.

His academic journey commenced with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Minor in Biochemistry from Davidson College, North Carolina, where he investigated flagellar proteins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. He earned his PhD at Princeton University under Dr. Lynn Enquist, studying alphaherpesvirus transneuronal spread in nervous systems, followed by postdoctoral research and promotion to Research Fellow at UCLA in Dr. Kelsey Martin's laboratory.

Asst Prof Ch'ng's research centers on the transcriptional coactivator CRTC1, demonstrating its activity-dependent translocation from synapses to nuclei and critical role in transcription-dependent neuronal plasticity. His work bridges molecular neuroscience, cellular mechanisms, and memory formation, with significant implications for understanding neurodegenerative disorders through cellular and molecular approaches to brain function.

His scientific contributions have earned recognition through:

• NARSAD Young Investigator Research Fellowship funding
• Parvin Foundation Award
• MBI Excellence in Research Award

He mentors three PhD students (Lim Fang Yi Agnes, Lee Yan Jun, Soon Hui Rong) and collaborates with Research Assistants Lim Wei Lee and Chin Pei Wern. His NARSAD-funded research explores memory storage mechanisms within NTU's collaborative neuroscience ecosystem.

His laboratory operates within the Neuroscience & Mental Health group co-directed by Professors Lim Kah Leong, Mythily Subramaniam, and Nagaendran Kandiah, leveraging resources including the NTU Cognitive Neuroimaging Centre, Dementia Research Centre (Singapore), advanced microscopy facilities, and specialized vivariums for rodent and zebrafish models.