Grace E. Fong

Grace E. Fong is a Professor of Biology at Randolph-Macon College, specializing in microbial and chemical ecology. She earned her PhD in Marine Biology from the University of California San Diego and holds a BS in Molecular Environmental Biology from UC Berkeley.

• Education: PhD (2004) and BS (1998) from UC institutions
• Teaching: Courses in Microbiology, Microbial Symbiosis, Marine Biology, and undergraduate research

Her research focuses on marine microbial symbionts and their biogeography, genomic analyses of unculturable bacteria, and the microbial ecology of fermentation. She employs long-read sequencing to study wild yeast genetics and brewing potential.

Recent publications highlight her work on marine invertebrate metagenomics, chemical ecology of bryozoans, and fermentation biology. Themes include symbiosis, genomics, and ecological impacts of microbial interactions.

• Scientific Awards: Thomas Branch Award (2013), Watts Professorship (2022)
• Grants: NSF for marine defensive symbiont biogeography, Jeffress Foundation for genomic analyses

Dr. Fong mentors undergraduate researchers, integrating hands-on learning with industrial applications like brewery collaborations. She also emphasizes inquiry-driven pedagogy in courses like "Fermentation: When Food Goes Bad."