Education

Ph.D. Microbiology, University of California-Davis
M.S. National Taiwan University
B.S. National Chung-Hsing University

Experience

Chairman 主任 (2017-2018)

Department of Life Science

國立清華大學生命科學系
National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

Chairman 主任 (2014-2015)

Tsing Hua Interdisplinary Program

國立清華大學大一不分系(現:清華學院學士班)
National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

Chief 組長 (2014-2015)

Division of Faculty Development and Teaching Assistants Training,

Center for Teaching and Learning Development

國立清華大學教務處教學發展中心教師發展與助教培訓組
National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

Associate Professor (2010-2014)

Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology & Department of Life Science
National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

Assistant Professor (2005-2010)

Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology & Department of Life Science
National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

Assistant Researcher

Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
University of California, San Francisco

Postgraduate Researcher

Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
University of California, San Francisco

Postdoctoral Scholar

Department of Cell and Tissue Biology
University of California, San Francisco

Assistant Research Fellow

Cell Biology and Immunology Division
Development Center for Biotechnology

Awards and Honors

2022

Honorary Mentor Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學榮譽傑出導師/獲校傑出導師獎3次）

2022

Outstanding Mentor Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學第十四屆校傑出導師獎）

2022

Outstanding Mentor Award, College of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學生命科學院傑出導師獎）

2022

Certificate of Merit (for Teaching), College of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學生命科學院教學終身紀念狀/獲院傑出教學獎3次）

2020

Honorary Teaching Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學榮譽教師/獲校傑出教學獎3次）

2020

Outstanding Teaching Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學108學年度校傑出教學獎）

2017

Distinguished Professor, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學特聘教授）

2017

Outstanding Teaching Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學105學年度校傑出教學獎）

2017

Outstanding Mentor Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學第九屆校傑出導師獎）

2013

Outstanding Teaching Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學101學年度校傑出教學獎）

2013

Outstanding Mentor Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學第五屆校傑出導師獎）

2013, 2012, 2011 & 2010

Research Paper Publication Award, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學102、101、100及99年度學術研究出版獎勵）

2016, 2011 & 2008

Teaching Award, College of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學生命科學院104、100及97年度傑出教學獎）

2010

New Faculty Research Award, College of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
（國立清華大學生命科學院99年度新進教師研究獎）

Research Interests

The main focus in my lab is to study the biology and pathogenicity of a major fungal pathogen of humans, Candida albicans, and the interactions between C. albicans and its hosts. As a commensal, C. albicans frequently causes irritating and recurrent infections, including oral thrush and vaginal candidiasis. In immunocompromised patients, C. albicans can become invasive and causes life-threatening systemic infections. Moreover, C. albicans can also gain entry into the bloodstream (candidaemia) during procedures associated with the implantation of medical devices. As such, this organism has emerged as the fourth most common blood-bone infection in the US and candidaemia is a significant nosocomial infection. Moreover, a minor project is to elucidate molecular mechanisms of multidrug resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii. The projects currently underway include:

(1) Environmental sensing, signal integration and C. albicans pathogenesis.

During its natural history in the host, C. albicans encounters a wide variety of environmental conditions, including changing nutrients, pH, and antimicrobial mediators. One of the features that allow C. albicans to transition from a commensal organism to a successful pathogen is its ability to sense these complex environmental signals and respond by controlling cell growth/proliferation and hyphal morphogenesis, forming biofilm and expression of associated virulence determinants. Our immediate objective is to characterize the roles of a new Rhb1-mediated signaling/regulatory pathway for integrating multiple environmental signals, cell growth/proliferation and virulence. (Tsao et al., 2009; Chen et al., 2012; Hsu et al., 2013). In addition, we also study the response of C. albicans to human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (Tsai et al., 2014a; Chang et al., 2011; Tsai et al., 2011a and 2011b) and molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation (Chen et al., 2015; Tsai et al., 2014b; Wang et al., 2010).

Iron is important for the microbial pathogen-host interaction. The availability of iron serves as an important signal for the expression of virulence determinants in pathogens, and iron withholding is a defense mechanism of hosts against microbial infections. Using functional genomics and molecular genetics, we have identified genes whose expression is modulated by iron availability and also identified the transcriptional factors, Sfu1 and Hap43, involved in this regulation (Lan et al., 2004; Hsu et al., 2011; Hsu et al., 2013).

(2) Interaction networks between C. albicans and host.

In collaboration with Dr. Y.-J. Chuang’s group (NTHU), we demonstrate that zebrafish can be a useful model to study C. albicans pathogenesis (Chao et al., 2010). Currently, in collaboration with Drs. B.-S. Chen, W.-P. Hsieh and D.-S. Wong’s group (NTHU), C. albicans-host interaction networks are investigated using functional genomic and systems biological approaches (Chen et al., 2008; Yang et al., 2010; Hsu et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2012; Kuo et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2013; Chen et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2014; Lin et al., 2014a; Lin et al., 2014b).

Some of our work in (1) and (2) are reviewed in Tsai et al., (2013).

(3) Multidrug resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii: epidemiology and its molecular mechanisms.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a leading nosocomial pathogen. Because nosocomial isolates exhibit a remarkable ability to develop antibiotic resistance rapidly, A. baumannii infection pose a great challenge. Currently, another project of my lab is working in collaboration with Dr. M.-F. Lin’s group (NTU Hospital-ChuTung Branch). Using molecular epidemiology and molecular biology approaches, we investigated the distribution of various drug-resistant A. baumannii strains in Taiwan (Lin et al., 2011 and 2013). In addition, we are also studying role of the BaeSR two-component signaling system in regulation of a wide variety of efflux pumps, and its correlation with susceptibility of different antibiotics (Lin et al., 2014c, 2014d, 2014e, 2015).

Our work related to A. baumannii is reviewed in Lin et al., (2014d).