Heng Chooi

Dr. Heng Chooi is an Associate Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and a member of the UWA Oceans Institute at The University of Western Australia. He holds a PhD in Applied Biology and Biotechnology. Before joining UWA in 2015, he worked at UCLA (2009–2013) and the Australian National University (2013–2015), where he secured an ARC DECRA fellowship. His research focuses on fungal secondary metabolite biosynthesis, pathogen-host interactions, and enzyme/drug discovery via genome mining. His work bridges genomics, synthetic biology, and natural product chemistry.

• Education: PhD in Applied Biology and Biotechnology

Research interests include understanding how fungal metabolites contribute to plant/animal diseases and discovering novel bioactive compounds. His lab explores synthetic biology tools for pathway engineering and natural product discovery. Key projects involve fungal virulence mechanisms and antifungal resistance.

Dr. Chooi has secured significant grants, including an ARC Future Fellowship (2016–2019) and multiple ARC Discovery Grants. Current projects include decoding fungal metabolite weaponry and developing infrastructure for biomedical research. His work aligns with UN SDGs related to sustainable agriculture and health.

• Awards: ARC DECRA (2013–2015), ARC Future Fellowship (2016–2019)

He collaborates globally on biosynthetic gene cluster curation (e.g., MIBiG 4.0) and has published extensively on fungal metabolites and biotechnological applications.