18th Sep 2019: Research cruise in Northeast Pacific
Charmaine returned to Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Insitute (MBARI) to join the Worden lab’s DVM 2019 research cruise. She performed diel sampling to explore the diversity and temporal dynamics of viral assemblages in relationship to their hosts in the mesotrophic ocean. She also helped other scientists on board, i.e. collecting DOC and click-iT samples for Dr. Kristin Bergauer (GEOMAR) and dissecting deep-sea invertebrates with UCSC PhD student Charlotte Eckmann.
22nd Aug 2019: Funded postgraduate opportunities in microbial ecology and oceanography
Ongoing opportunities are available for Ph.D. students wishing to study the microbial ecology and oceanography, focusing on efforts to understand microbial diversity, microbial interactions, and viral impact on picophytoplankton. Successful candidates will pursue a Master’s (M.Phil.) or Doctorate (Ph.D.) in the department of Ocean Science at HKUST with Dr. Charmaine C.M. Yung.
Some potential topics to develop are:
– Temporal dynamics of picophytoplankton in Hong Kong waters
– Exploring the temporal dynamics of viruses and their potential hosts including bacteria and single-cell eukaryotes in the ocean
– Identifying green algae-virus pairs, establish model systems to study the interaction between the underlying mechanism of the infection as well as the top-down and bottom-up effect on green algae populations.
– Investigating the Vibrio population structure in different sources, including waters and oysters.
Requirements:
Applicants should demonstrate the following qualifications:
– Minimum: A bachelor’s degree in Biology, Microbiology, Bioinformatics or equivalent
– Strong interest in marine microbial ecology
– Very good written and oral communication skills in English
– Experience in basic microbiology, microbial ecology, molecular biology, and/or bioinformatics is preferred, especially DNA/RNA extraction techniques, PCR, and working with UNIX, R and/or Python is preferred.
– The ability to participate in marine fieldwork that may sometimes be physically demanding
– Field experience working in marine environments is also an asset
– Fulfill the HKUST admission requirements (https://pg.ust.hk/prospective-students/admissions/admission-requirements)
Interested applicants should e-mail to ccmyung@ust.hk including:
1. A cover letter describing your motivation, skills, and experience for this position
2. CV
3. University transcript (unofficial is fine)
Application deadline: Open until filled
Start date: 2020 Spring
20th July 2019: GRC Marine Molecular Ecology
Charmaine attended the GRC Marine Molecular Ecology (MME) hosted by our own faculty Prof. Qinglu Zeng and Madeleine van Oppen from Australia. The conference covered a wide range of topics including marine viruses, microbial interactions, eDNA, and coral reefs. Charmaine was elected to be the vice-chair of the next conference held in 2021. Stay tuned for the GRC MME 2021!
2nd July 2019: Moving back to hometown
Dr. Charmaine Yung officially joins the faculty of the new Department of Ocean Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today. Ten years after graduating from HKUST, Dr. Yung returned to her alma mater after 10 years Stay tune for Postdoc, Research Assistant and Graduate student openings!
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