Amanda Ooi obtained a Ph.D. degree in Bioscience at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia under the supervision of Associate Prof. Liming Xiong and co-supervision of Prof. Christoph Gehring and Prof. Boon S. Ooi. She previously did her undergraduate studies, majoring in B. Sc. (Hons) in Biotechnology at UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and further pursued in the same discipline at the University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom, where she graduated with an M. Sc. in Biotechnology and Enterprise. Currently, Amanda is working as a Postdoctorate Fellow at Professor Pierre J. Magistretti's Research Group. Her current research seeks to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effect of near-infrared (NIR) laser-based photobiomodulation. The project involves preparation of primary mice cultures (neurons & astrocytes), differentiation of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line into neuronal-like cells, gene expression (RT-PCR), flow cytometry and cellular biology assays (Agilent Seahorse XF Analyzers and mitochondrial assays) and advanced cellular imaging techniques using confocal microscope.

Research Interests

Current research interest lies in the characterization of plant growth under single-wavelength laser light using the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, which involves plant phenotyping, biochemistry, biomolecular and proteomic approaches. She also looks at the physiological relevance of a plant stress hormone, abscisic acid (ABA) towards the modulation of guard cell outward-rectifying potassium (GORK) channel activity in response to drought stress, in which she has developed some skills and experience in cell biology, biochemistry and electrophysiology in membrane transport biology. She is also broadly interested in the discovery of molecular components underlying signaling pathways in stress and programmed cell death responses, in particular, the fungal Candida albicans in order to explore and to identify novel antimicrobial agents.

Selected Publications

• Ooi, A., Wong, A., Ng, T.K., Marondedze, C., Gehring, C., and Ooi, B.S. (2016). Growth and Development of Arabidopsis thaliana Under Single-Wavelength Red and Blue Laser Light. Sci. Rep. 6:33885. DOI: 10.1038/srep33885
• Ooi, A., Wong, A., Esau, L., Lemtiri-Chlieh, F., and Gehring, C. (2016). A Guide to Transient Expression of Membrane Proteins in HEK-293 Cells for Functional Characterization. Front. Physiol. 7:300. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00300
• Wong, A., Ngu, D.Y.S., Dan, L.A., Ooi, A., and Lim, R.H.L. (2015). Detection of Antibiotic Resistance in Probiotics of Dietary Supplements. Nutr. J. 14:95. DOI: 10.1186/s12937-015-0084-2

Awards and Distinctions

• Fifth place winner of the 2015 KAUST Falling Walls Lab.
• International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR 2014) Graduate Student Research Recognition Award selected for Excellent Research Abstract (Top 15 Graduate Students).
• First place winner of the 2013 DOW Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge (SISCA) Award.
• Recipient of the KAUST Provost Award and KAUST Ph.D. Fellowship (2013).
• University of Exeter Dean’s Commendation (top 2.5% of the 2010-2011 masters programme cohort).
• Recipient of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Commission (CSSC) Award for masters’ degree at University of Exeter (2010).

Awards and Distinctions

• Fifth place winner of the 2015 KAUST Falling Walls Lab.
• International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR 2014) Graduate Student Research Recognition Award selected for Excellent Research Abstract (Top 15 Graduate Students).
• First place winner of the 2013 DOW Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge (SISCA) Award.
• Recipient of the KAUST Provost Award and KAUST Ph.D. Fellowship (2013).
• University of Exeter Dean’s Commendation (top 2.5% of the 2010-2011 masters programme cohort).
• Recipient of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Commission (CSSC) Award for masters’ degree at University of Exeter (2010).