W.K. Kwong

Unabridged CV available upon request

Education
2015               Ph.D., Yale University (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
2012               M.Sc., Yale University (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
2009               B.Sc., University of British Columbia (Cell Biology & Genetics major, Physics minor)

Positions Held
2017-present        Postdoctoral Fellow, Botany. University of British Columbia.
2013-2016              Visiting Scholar, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Integrative Biology. University of Texas at Austin.
2011-2015              Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Yale University.
2010                            Rotating Graduate Student, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Yale University.
2008-2009              Research Assistant, Medical Genetics. University of British Columbia.
2006-2008              Research Assistant, Microbiology & Immunology. University of British Columbia.

30. Kwong WK, Irwin NAT, Mathur V, Na I‡, Okamoto N, Vermeij MJA, Keeling PJ. 2020. Taxonomy of the apicomplexan symbionts of coral, including Corallicolida ord. nov., reassignment of the genus Gemmocystis, and description of new species Corallicola aquarius gen. nov. sp. nov. and Anthozoaphila gnarlus gen. nov. sp. nov. bioRXiv
29. Mathur V, Kwong WK, Husnik F, Irwin NAT, Kristmundsson A, Gestral C, Freeman M, Keeling PJ. 2020. Phylogenomics identifies a new major subgroup of apicomplexans, Marosporida class. nov., with extreme apicoplast genome reduction. Genome Biology and Evolution. doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaa244
28. Kwong WK. 2020. Microbiome evolution: Having the guts to be different. Current Biology. 30(13):R766-R768.
27. Kwong WK. 2020. Bee microbiomes go viral. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 117(21):11197-11199.
26. George EE*, Husnik F*, Tashyreva D*, Prokopchuk G*, Horák A, Kwong WK, Lukeš J, and Keeling PJ. 2020. Highly reduced genomes of protist endosymbionts show evolutionary convergence. Current Biology. 30(5):925-933.e3. (bioRXiv https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/719211v1.full).
25. Zheng H*, Perreau J*, Powell JE, Zhang W, Du Y, Kwong WK, Tringe SG, and Moran NA. 2019. Division of labor in honey bee gut microbiota for plant polysaccharide digestion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 116(51):25909-25916.
24. Kwong WK, del Campo J, Mathur V, Vermeij MJA, and Keeling PJ. 2019. A widespread coral-infecting apicomplexan with chlorophyll biosynthesis genes. Nature. 568:103–107. (bioRXiv https://doi.org/10.1101/391565). Nature News & Views Commentary.
23. Romero S*, Nastasa A*, Chapman A, Kwong WK, and Foster L. 2019. The honey bee gut microbiota: Strategies for study and characterization. Insect Molecular Biology. doi.org/10.1111/imb.12567
22. Mazel F, Davis KM, Loudon A, Kwong WK, Groussin M, and Parfrey LW. 2018. Is host filtering the main driver of phylosymbiosis across the tree of life? mSystems. 3:e00097-18.
21. Bean BDM, Dziurdzik SK, Kolehmainen KL, Fowler CMS, Kwong WK, Grad LI, Davey M, Schluter C, and Conibear E. 2018. Competitive organelle-specific adaptors recruit Vps13 to membrane contact sites. Journal of Cell Biology. doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201804111. JCB Spotlight.
20. Kwong WK, Steele MI, and Moran NA. 2018. Genome sequences of Apibacter spp., gut symbionts of Asian honey bees. Genome Biology and Evolution. doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evy076.
19. Mockler BK‡, Kwong WK, Moran NA, and Koch H. 2018. Microbiome structure influences infection by the parasite Crithidia bombi in bumble bees. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 84(7): e02335-17.
18. Steele MI, Kwong WK, Whiteley M, and Moran NA. 2017. Diversification of Type VI Secretion System toxins reveals ancient antagonism among bee gut microbes. mBio. 8(6): e01630-17.
17. Kwong WK, Zheng H, and Moran NA. 2017. Convergent evolution of a modified, acetate-driven TCA cycle in bacteria. Nature Microbiology. 2: 17067.
16. Kwong WK, Medina LA‡, Koch H, Sing KW, Soh EJY, Ascher JS, Jaffé R, and Moran NA. 2017. Dynamic microbiome evolution in social bees. Science Advances. 3(3): e1600515.
15. Kwong WK*, Mancenido AL*‡, and Moran NA. 2017. Immune system stimulation by the native gut microbiota of honey bees. Royal Society Open Science. 4(2): 170003.
14. Powell JE*, Leonard SP*, Kwong WK*, Engel P, and Moran NA. 2016. Genome-wide screen identifies host colonization determinants in a bacterial gut symbiont. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113(48): 13887–13892.
13. Zheng H, Nishida A, Kwong WK, Koch H, Engel P, Steele MI, and Moran NA. 2016. Metabolism of toxic sugars by strains of the bee gut symbiont Gilliamella apicola. mBio. 7(6): e01326-16.
12. Kwong WK and Moran NA. 2016. Gut microbial communities of social bees. Nature Reviews Microbiology. doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.43. Jun. 2016 issue cover.
11. Engel P, Kwong WK, McFrederick Q, Anderson KE, Barribeau SM, Chandler JA, Cornman RS, Dainat J, de Miranda JR, Doublet V, Emery O, Evans JD, Farinelli L, Flenniken ML, Granberg F, Grasis JA, Gauthier L, Hayer J, Koch H, Kocher S, Martinson VG, Moran N, Munoz-Torres M, Newton I, Paxton RJ, Powell E, Sadd BM, Schmid-Hempel P, Schmid-Hempel R, Song SJ, Schwarz RS, vanEngelsdorp D, and Dainat B. 2016. The bee microbiome: Impact on bee health and model for evolution and ecology of host-microbe interactions. mBio. 7(2): e02164-15.
10. Kwong WK and Moran NA. 2016. Apibacter adventoris gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the phylum Bacteroidetes isolated from honey bees. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 66: 1323-1329.
9. Kwong WK and Moran NA. 2015. The evolution of host specialization in gut microbes: the bee gut as a model. Gut Microbes. 6(3): 214-220.
8. Kwong WK, Mancenido AL‡, and Moran NA. 2014. Genome sequences of Lactobacillus spp. strains wkB8 and wkB10, members of the ‘Firm-5’ clade, from honey bee guts. Genome Announcements. 2(6) pii: e01176-14.
7. Kwong WK, Engel P, Koch H, and Moran NA. 2014. Genomics and host specialization of honey bee and bumble bee gut symbionts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111(31): 11509-11514. PNAS Featured Article. Nature Reviews Microbiology Commentary.
6. Engel P†, James RR†, Koga R†, Kwong WK†, McFrederick Q†, and Moran NA†. 2013. Standard methods for research on Apis mellifera gut symbionts. In V Dietemann, JD Ellis, P Neumann (Eds) The COLOSS BEEBOOK, Volume I: Standard Methods for Apis mellifera Research. Journal of Apicultural Research. 52(4): doi 10.3896.
5. Engel P, Kwong WK, and Moran NA. 2013. Frischella perrara gen. nov., sp. nov., a gammaproteobacterium isolated from the gut of the honey bee, Apis mellifera. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 63: 3646-3651.
4. Kwong WK and Moran NA. 2013. Cultivation and characterization of the gut symbionts of honey bees and bumble bees: description of Snodgrassella alvi gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Neisseriaceae of the Betaproteobacteria, and Gilliamella apicola gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of Orbaceae fam. nov., Orbales ord. nov., a sister taxon to the order ‘Enterobacteriales‘ of the Gammaproteobacteria. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 63: 2008-2018. IJSEM Jun. 2013 issue cover.
3. Yim G*, Kwong W*, Davies J, and Miao V. 2012. Complex integrons containing qnrB4-ampC (blaDHA-1) in plasmids of multidrug resistant Citrobacter freundii from wastewater. Canadian Journal of Microbiology. 10.1139/cjm-2012-0576.
2. Tian B, Fadhil NH, Powell JE, Kwong WK, and Moran NA. 2012. Long-term exposure to antibiotics has caused accumulation of resistance determinants in the gut microbiota of honey bees. mBio. 3(6): e00377-12. ASM Commentary. mBio Nov./Dec. 2012 issue cover.
1. Xu H, Miao V, Kwong W, Xia R, and Davies J. 2011. Identification of a novel fosfomycin resistance gene (fosA2) in Enterobacter cloacae from the Salmon River, Canada. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 52(4): 427-429.

Selected Conferences as Presenting Author
2018         Entomological Society of America/Canada, Vancouver, Canada.
2018         International Society of Protistologists, Vancouver, Canada.
2017         Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Austin, USA.
2016         XXV International Congress of Entomology, Orlando, USA.
2016         Evolution 2016, Austin, USA.
2014         15th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Seoul, South Korea.
2014         International Union for the Study of Social Insects, 17th Congress, Cairns, Australia.
2014         EEB Graduate Student Symposium, Yale University.
2014         Keystone Symposium on the Mechanisms and Consequences of Invertebrate-Microbe Interactions, Tahoe City, USA.
2013         Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, Chicago, USA.
2013         2nd Connecticut Symbiosis Symposium, University of Connecticut – Storrs.
2012         14th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2012         62nd Canadian Society of Microbiologists Meeting, University of British Columbia.
2012         EEB Graduate Student Symposium, Yale University.
2009         Biochemistry Department, University of British Columbia.
2008         58th Canadian Society of Microbiologists Meeting, University of Calgary.
2008         7th Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference, University of British Columbia
2007         6th Translational Research in Infectious Diseases Research Symposium, University of British Columbia.

Selected Awards and Grants
2017 – 2019     Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship ($90,000)
2017 – 2019      Killam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship ($104,000)
2015                   Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research ($700)
2014                   Yale EEB Chair’s Graduate Student Fund Award ($2,800)
2014                   International Union for the Study of Social Insects – North American Section ($2,000)
2014                   Yale Graduate Student Assembly Conference Travel Fellowship ($700)
2012                   CSM Student Award Competition Travel Award ($438)
2012                   Yale EEB Chair’s Graduate Student Fund Award ($1,800)
2012 – 2015      NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship ($63,000)
2010 – 2015      Yale University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Fellowship
2008                   Child and Family Research Institute Summer Student Fellowship ($3,750)
2008                   UBC Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference – Oral Presentation Winner
2006                   Translational Research in Infectious Diseases Co-op Studentship ($10,504)
2005                   J. Fred Muir Memorial Scholarship in Science ($500)
2003 – 2005      UBC Undergraduate Scholar Program Scholarship ($7,500)
2003                   British Columbia Provincial Scholarship ($1,000)

Teaching Experience
Courses as Teaching Fellow:
2013         Lab for Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior, Yale University
2012         Evolutionary Biology, Yale University
2011         Diversity of Life, Yale University
2011         Principles of Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior, Yale University

Undergraduates supervised:
University of British Columbia (3), University of Texas at Austin (4), Yale/University of New Haven (1)

Reviewer for:
The American Naturalist, Animal Microbiome, Apidologie, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Biology Letters, BMC Evolutionary Biology, BMC Microbiology, Current Biology, Environmental Entomology, Environmental Microbiology, FEMS Microbial Ecology, Genome Biology and Evolution, Insect Science, Insects, International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, The ISME Journal, Journal of Apicultural Research, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, mBio, Microbiome, Molecular Ecology, Nature Communications, Nature Ecology and Evolution, Nutrients, Parasitology, PeerJ, Philippine Journal of Science, PLoS ONE, PLoS Pathogens, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Scientific Reports, Trends in Microbiology. US National Science Foundation.