Amanda Ooi, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellows

Current

Social Profile:

Research Interests

​Dr. Ooi’s current research seeks to understand the molecular mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of laser-based photobiomodulation. She is also interested in the signaling mechanisms of light and abscisic acid (ABA) hormone that have key regulatory roles in plant growth and development and in adaptive responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Other research interest lies in the development of laser-based horticultural lighting technology.

Selected Publications

  • ​Growth and development of Arabidopsis thaliana under single-wavelength red and blue laser light 
    A. Ooi, A. Wong, T.K. Ng, C. Marondedze, C. Gehring, B.S. Ooi
    Scientific Reports 6:33885. doi:10.1038/srep33885, 2016
  • A guide to transient expression of membrane proteins in HEK-293 cells for functional characterization
    A. Ooi, A. Wong, L. Esau, F. Lemtiri-Chlieh, and C. Gehring
    Frontiers in Physiology 7:300. doi:10.3389/fphys.2016.00300, 2016
  • Detection of antibiotic resistance in probiotics of dietary supplements
    A. Wong, D.Y.S. Ngu, L.A. Dan, A. Ooi, and R.H.L. Lim
    Nutrition Journal 14:95. doi:10.1186/s12937-015-0084-2, 2016

Education

  • ​Ph.D in Bioscience, KAUST, Saudi Arabia, 2016
  • M.Sc. in Biotechnology & Enterprise, University of Exeter, United Kingdom, 2011
  • B. Sc. (Hons) in Biotechnology, UCSI University, Malaysia, 2010

Professional Profile

  • ​2017: Research consultant, Photonics Laboratory, KAUST, Saudi Arabia
  • 2017 – Present: Postdoctoral fellow, Laboratory for Cellular Imaging and Energetics, KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Awards

  • ​Fifth place winner of the 2015 KAUST Falling Walls Lab on “Breaking the Wall of Sustainable Horticulture”
  • 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 PhD Fellowship (2013)
  • Recipient of the University of Exeter Dean’s Commendation (2011)
  • Recipient of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Commission (CSSC) Award for masters’ degree at University of Exeter (2010)

KAUST Affiliations

​Biological and Environmental 
Science & Engineering Division (BESE)

Research Interests Keywords

Photobiomodulation Plant physiology Laser-based horticulture Neuroprotection