Discovery and genomic characterisation of novel and emerging pathogens and pathogenic forms, including coronaviruses, influenza virus, and other novel viruses and pathogens, through a range of molecular techniques, immunological techniques, animal models, and bioinformatics tools, to win new insights in microbial genomics and potential diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine targets.

Antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, enterococci, Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, Candida species, and Aspergillus species, including the epidemiology and genomics of resistant bacteria, resistant gene ecology, mechanisms of resistance, clinical relevance, novel methods for diagnosis of resistance, and evaluation of new antibiotics.

Application of cutting edge technologies in cellular and molecular biology and reverse genetics to study virus-host interaction, in particular on host restriction of influenza virus replication, molecular basis for cross-species transmission of influenza A viruses, aberrant cellular signaling associated with viral pathogenesis of severe influenza, and host reponse and pathogenesis of COVID-19.

Application of chemical genetics and conventional genetic approaches (including cloning, site-directed deletions) to dissect microbial pathogenesis and identify microbial targets of important diagnostic and therapeutic value. Determination of the structures and functions of identified microbial targets using bioinformatics, molecular modelling, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography and other biophysical methods. Development of computational and experimental methods for efficient drug screening and design.