Cheong Xin Chan

Dr Chan has a PhD in Genomics and Computational Biology from UQ. He underwent postdoctoral training at Rutgers University (USA) in algal genomics and evolution. He returmed to UQ in late 2011 as one of the inaugural Great Barrier Reef Foundation Bioinformatics Fellows. Dr Chan joined the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences in 2020 as a group leader at the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics (ACE). His group uses advanced computational approaches to study genome evolution and develop scalable approaches for comparative genomics. Genome evolution and innovation: We are interested in the evolution of genomes in response to the organism's adaptation to changing environments. Using comparative genomics, we aim to identify genome features, gene content, functions, and/or pathways that are specific to distinct ecological niches. We work with our collaborators on a range of microbes, algae, drought-resistant plants, weeds, corals and jellyfish. Hologenomics of symbiosis: We aim to understand the genetic capacity of symbiotic partners in sustaining a functional ecological unit. Central to our research are the reef-building corals, critically sustained by symbiosis between the coral animal and the symbiotic dinoflagellate algae. Breakdown of this symbiosis leads to coral bleaching. Working with our collaborators nationally and internationally, we are generating de novo core genome data from coral symbionts and their relatives. Scalable phylogenomics using alignment-free methods: Highly scalable phylogenomic approaches are needed to make evolutionary sense of the ongoing deluge of sequence data. Working with our international collaborators, we are developing and exploring the use of alignment-free methods in large-scale inference of genome evolution as networks, beyond the conventional tree-like assumption of evolutionary history.

[2026] A catastrophic marine mortality event caused by a complex algal bloom including the brevetoxin producer Karenia cristata. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 10 (8), 1-15. doi: 10.1038/s41559-026-03115-0 [2026] Contrasting population structures of reef-building corals and their algal symbionts inform adaptive potential across the western Pacific. Current Biology, 36 (11), 2808-2822.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.057 [2026] Heatwave winners and losers: cryptic coral holobionts differ in thermal tolerance. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 293 (2072) 20260890, 2072. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2026.0890 [2026] How a coral holobiont stays in sync in nature. Cell Host and Microbe, 34 (2), 190-191. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2026.01.010 [2026] RNAcentral in 2026: genes and literature integ