EXPERTISE
Plant and algal molecular biology, genetics and genetic engineering
Dr Chen Jit Ern is the Director of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development and an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Sunway University. His primary research interest is in the development and utilisation of genetic engineering techniques and molecular tools on various microalgae, to study the underlying mechanisms of physiological traits such as lipid accumulation and heat tolerance. Dr Chen’s current primary project is focused on studying the potential for increased heat tolerance in Zooxanthellae, with an emphasis on heat-activated retrotransposons and the experimental evolution of heat tolerance in microalgae. His other interests include developing climate stress simulators for coral research, monitoring plant biodiversity in Bandar Sunway, advising Sunway Group on their sustainability initiatives, and consulting on Climate Value-at-Risk analyses.