Position: Associate Professor

Nationality/where you work: The University of Hong Kong

Number of Seasons on the ice: 3

100 words about your scientific interest

My research is largely focused on the microbial ecology of arid systems.  Approaches combine environmental genomic technologies including pyrosequencing and microarrays, with extensive application of phylogenetic analyses to large environmental sequence datasets.  These are employed to address fundamental issues in the ecology and evolution of microorganisms and their interactions with their environment. Significant recent publications have addressed landscape genetics and ecology, dispersal, trophic relationships and potential for catastrophic ecosystem shift in terms of diversity and functionality due to climate change.  My group is involved in regional- and global-scale projects that include polar, high altitude and hot deserts.

100 words about what you do for ICTAR

My overall contribution to the Centre is in my capacity as a microbial ecologist, and I work closely with Craig Cary, Charles Lee, Don Cowan and Mark Stevens.  I have a dual focus to my research at ICTAR: 1) Elucidating the microbial ecology and response to disturbance of lithic microbial communities, and 2) Resolving microbial dispersal in the Antarctic aerosphere.  An important aspect to my work is also linking our Antarctic findings to other arid locations worldwide.

Contact information:

Your email address: pointing@hku.hk

Mailing address: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

Phone number: +852 22990677