Dr. Richard Kong received his PhD in Microbiology from Monash University, Australia. He has been actively involved in molecular biology research for many years, involving projects that varied from molecular investigations of pathogen epidemiology and virulence to molecular genetics of inherited disorders in humans. He is well funded by many internal, external and industrial grants to carry out both basic and applied research. His research interest is on the development and application of novel DNA-based technologies as risk assessment and bioremediation tools to address problems related to diverse aspects of pollution in the marine environment. Projects on these themes in his laboratory include: development of genome-based diagnostics (multiplex quantitative-PCR and DNA chips) for waterborne pathogens; functional studies of gene markers of hypoxia- and xenobiotic-induced disruption of reproductive functions in fish and human cell lines; models of bacterial pathogenesis; application of synthetic biology and genome evolution technologies for bioremediation of perfluorinated compounds. Dr. Kong has extensive experience on the comparative use of a wide variety of bioinformatic tools that have been described in many of his recent publications on gene expression studies in bacteria and fungi to higher vertebrates. Dr. Kong is also interested in the teaching and learning of effective English skills in science communication. He has published extensively in leading international journals in Microbiology, and Molecular and Cell Biology, and has served on the Editorial Board and as a reviewer for various International journals.