CHRO 2024 is thrilled to announce our Keynote Speaker line-up.

Prof Stephan C. Schuster

Professor Stephan C. Schuster stands as a distinguished luminary in the realms of genomics and environmental science. His academic odyssey commenced with a specialization in organic chemistry, a precursor to his deep immersion in biochemistry and microbiology at the esteemed Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry in Germany. Progressing through pivotal roles at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Schuster later shifted his focus to genomics, where he made indelible contributions to projects encompassing both, vertebrates and microbes.

Presently, Professor Schuster assumes the mantle of Research Director at the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) and holds a President’s chair in Genomics at Nanyang Technological University. Notably, he plays a central role as the scientific director of the GenomeAsia100K consortium, where his influence has been instrumental in demonstrating the transformative impact of genomics.

In recent groundbreaking research, Schuster’s exploration of ancient DNA has evolved into the development of pioneering ultra-low biomass protocols for next-generation sequencing. This innovation has facilitated extensive environmental surveys, with his team’s ingenious approach to ultra-low biomass sequencing of DNA from the air unveiling the diel cycle of airborne microorganisms. This breakthrough has provided invaluable insights into the microbial composition of both tropical and temperate air.

Amidst the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Schuster’s air surveillance technologies emerged as critical tools. These technologies played a pivotal role in detecting SARS-CoV-2 in air samples, contributing significantly to studies aimed at safeguarding medical personnel. Professor Schuster’s multifaceted contributions underscore his leading position in the fields of genomics, environmental genomics, and the innovative application of these sciences in health research.

Dr Elisabeth Bik

Elisabeth Bik, PhD is a Dutch-American microbiologist who has worked for 15 years at Stanford University and 2 years in industry. In 2014, Bik founded the Microbiome Digest blog, a platform providing accessible commentaries on recent scientific papers in the microbiome field. She entered the realm of science integrity in 2013 after discovering plagiarism in one of her publications. Her dedication deepened in 2014 when she uncovered manipulated images in papers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Since then, she has actively contributed to Retraction Watch and PubPeer, exposing falsified and duplicated data in scientific papers. In 2019, she left her job in industry to become a full-time science integrity volunteer and consultant who scans the biomedical literature for images or other data of concern. She has found over 7,000 scientific papers, and her work resulted in over 1,000 retractions and another 1,000 corrections. For her work in science communication and exposing research misconduct, she received the 2021 John Maddox Prize. In addition to her accolades, Bik is the founder of Science Integrity Digest, contributing to ongoing conversations on research integrity and misconduct. Her multifaceted contributions continue to shape discussions and promote transparency in scientific publications.

Dr Qijing Zhang

Dr. Qijing Zhang is currently Clarence Hartley Covault Distinguished Professor and Dr. Roger and Marilyn Mahr Chair in One Health at Iowa State University. He served as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine from 2012-2022. Dr. Dr. Zhang received his BVSc degree from Shandong Agricultural University, MS degree in Veterinary Microbiology from the National Institute of Veterinary Biologics, PhD degree in Immunobiology from Iowa State University, and postdoc training from University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on transmission, evolution, pathogenesis, and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter jejuni at the animal-human interface. Over the years, his team has discovered emergence and evolution of highly pathogenic C. jejuni variants and revealed novel resistance mechanisms and clonal expansion of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter. His work has also generated important information for the development of interventions to mitigate Campylobacter transmission and infection. Dr. Zhang has served on a number of editorial boards, grant review panels, and various committees for professional organizations. Dr. Zhang was a holder of Frank Ramsey Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine for multiple terms and a recipient of Pfizer Award for Research Excellence. He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Microbiology, and American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Prof Steffan Backert

Prof. Dr. Steffen Backert is full professor and faculty member at the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen in Germany. He is working in the field of Microbial Pathogenesis for more than 25 years. His research area of interest is the investigation of molecular signalling pathways during host-pathogen interactions in enteric infections such as that of Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria. Prof. Backert is the Associate Editor of numerous highly ranked journals and holds 7 patents with his colleagues. He has published 9 scientific books, 218 research papers in internationally recognised journals and gave more than 160 lectures at research conferences worldwide.

A/Prof Anna Roujeinikova

A/Professor Anna Roujeinikova leads a research group at Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Her research focuses on bacteria of medical importance. She received interdisciplinary education; she studied Natural Sciences (BSc cum laude) and Applied Physics and Mathematics (MSc with distinct.) at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. She obtained a PhD in Structural Biology from the University of Sheffield (UK). Prior to joining Monash University (Australia) as an Associate Professor, Anna gained postdoctoral experience at the Institute for Cancer Studies (Sheffield, UK), Leicester University (UK) and Manchester University (UK). She has determined and published ~90 different crystal structures and her work has led to a significant advance of knowledge about human pathogens. For example, her work unravelling the molecular mechanism of action of a common antiseptic triclosan (Nature, 1999) provided evidence supporting the World Health Organisation Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection. Her subsequent work on essential bacterial proteins and mechanisms of their inhibition by commercial drugs has attracted significant interest from pharmaceutical companies, and the structures she published have subsequently been used as templates for the design of novel drug candidates for antibacterial, antiparasite and HIV treatment. More recently her main focus has been on bacterial motility and its control by chemoreceptors. Her group uses an interdisciplinary approach combining microbiology and physics to study the structure, function and regulation of the bacterial flagellar motor. Her achievements in this area have been recognised by the awards of Fellowships (a Wellcome Trust (UK) Career Development Fellowship (2006) and ARC Research Fellowship (2010)) and grants from ARC, NHMRC and NIH.

Dr. Prof. Pengyuan Zheng, MD, PhD

Professor Pengyuan Zheng is a renowned physician and researcher who holds multiple key positions in academic and professional organisations. He currently serves as the Dean of the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (ZZU) and holds the titles of Chief Physician and Professor in the Department of Gastroenterology. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he also holds several important positions in various organisations. These include the Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Director of the Institute of Medical Microecology and Clinical Nutrition, Executive Director of the Marshall Medical Research Centre at Zhengzhou University, and Vice Chairman of the Henan Overseas Chinese Federation.

Professor Zheng earned his PhD degree from the National University of Singapore, where he spent several years as a visiting scholar at the Free University of the Netherlands to further his research goals. Upon completion of his PhD, he continued his scholarly pursuits at the University of Toronto in Canada as a post-doctoral fellow, where he excelled in his research. He has published over 190 articles, including 89 in prestigious international SCI-indexed journals, showcasing his expertise in the field of gastroenterology, and related basic research. His current research focus includes H. pylori pathogenicity and drug resistance, gastrointestinal immune tolerance, food allergy, rehabilitation medicine, and integrated medical care.

Professor Zheng is a member of various international and local scientific societies, such as the American Society of Gastroenterology, Society of Microbiology, American Society of Microbiology, Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, Chinese Medical Association, and Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine. In recognition of his expertise and contributions, he holds several key positions in these organisations. He is the Chairman of the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine and Integrated Medical Care, Chief Expert of the National Key R&D Program (Integration of Medical Care and Nursing) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Head of the Digestive and Nutrition group in the Medical Microecology Branch of the China Preventive Medicine Association, Vice President of the Medical Microbiology group in the Digestive Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Association, and Vice Executive Secretary of the China Clinical Nutrition Alliance.