The Team

Kam Leng Aw Yong, PhD

Research Fellow

Kam Leng received her B.Sc. in Bioinformatics and M.Med.Sc. from the University of Malaya, Malaysia and her Ph.D. from the University of Hong Kong, HKSAR, China. Her research interests are focused on the pathogenesis and host-virus interactions of emerging RNA viruses. In particular, she is interested in using functional genomic approaches to uncover the host factors crucial for viral infection and transmission.

Fun Fact: Kam Leng likes to listen to music and play Pokemon GO during commuting :3 

Yung-Jiun Chen, BSc, MSc

PhD Student (IBM Program, Duke-NUS)

Yung-Jiun received his B.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science from Chang Gung University and his M.Sc. in Microbiology from National Taiwan University. His previous research mainly focused on HBV immunology and immunotherapy. In addition to viral immunology, he is also interested in virus and cell host interaction. Therefore, he’s now working on how do paramyxoviruses interact with cell host factors.

Fun Fact: Yung-Jiun enjoys eating vegetables, but vegetable juice is a torture for him. 

Hsin-Ping Chiu, PhD

Senior Research Fellow

Hsin-Ping received her PhD in Microbiology (Virology) from National Taiwan University. Before joining YSO lab in 2025, she was a postdoctoral fellow trained with Dr. Shin-Ru Shih at Chang Gung University, Taiwan and Dr. Benhur Lee at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. Hsin-Ping has long-term experience of working with emerging and re-emerging RNA viruses. Her research interest primarily focuses on virus-host interaction, especially antiviral mechanism and innate immune evasion of virus infection. 

Fun Fact: Hsin-Ping is addicted to coffee (kaffa-holic), but not Kopi.

Felic Fanusi, BSc

Lab Officer (Senior Research Assistant)

Felic received his B.Sc in Life Sciences from National University of Singapore, Singapore. He is always fascinated by the field of infectious diseases with a particular interest in microbial pathogenesis.

Fun fact: Outside the lab, Felic interests are boardgames, museums, and zoos.

Wern Hann Ng, PhD

Research Fellow

Wern Hann received his B.Sc. in Bioscience with Chemistry from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Malaysia, and his M.Sc. from University College Dublin, Ireland. He obtained his PhD in viral immunology from Griffith University, Australia. His research focuses on emerging infectious diseases, particularly arthritogenic alphavirus host-virus interactions and pathogenesis. He is especially interested in the development of personalized medicine and vaccines and is currently working on screening for novel host factors involved in viral infection and pathogenesis.

Fun fact: Wern Hann enjoys playing badminton, chess and listening to music. He can sleep anywhere/anytime and have once slept standing while leaning against the wall.

Yaw Shin Ooi, PhD

Principal Investigator

Yaw Shin is an assistant professor in the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) at the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. He is also an adjunct investigator at A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs, Singapore. He received his doctorate from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and later pursued his postdoctoral training at Stanford University, California. Yaw Shin has a long-established interest in discovering and mechanistically understanding how RNA viruses co-opt cellular factors to effectively replicate in human cells. 

Fun fact: Yaw Shin loves Chinese Calligraphy (check this out)! He is a member of the Penang Calligraphy Society, the Calligraphy Society of Malaysia, and the Malaysia Seal Carving Association.

Zhi Ying Tan

Research intern

Zhi Ying is a third-year undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), pursuing a degree in Life Sciences. Zhi Ying is actively involved in an undergraduate research project on alphavirus receptors and has a strong interest in the field of infectious diseases. With a passion for healthcare-related research, Zhi Ying aspires to contribute to advancements in this area. 

Fun fact: In her free time, Zhi Ying enjoys playing badminton.

Cythia Yong, BSc

Lab Manager (Senior Research Assistant)

Cythia received her B.Sc in Biomedical Science from Monash University in Melbourne Australia. She has previous research experience in developmental biology but has decided to venture into microbiology after graduation. 

Fun fact: Cythia was a Grade 8 ballet dancer and also a Cadet Lieutenant in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Air unit.

Biao Guo Yan, BSc

Research intern  (Adjunct)

Biao Guo ("BG") was a third year undergraduate from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore when he joined the lab, pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences and Medicinal Chemistry. BG has been actively exploring the field of infectious disease, and aspires to further his studies in healthcare-related research. 

Fun fact: BG engulfs chocolates of all forms, and sails in his free time.