Dr Trong Tran completed his PhD study in Organic Chemistry from Griffith University in 2015 and then obtained a two-year NIH postdoctoral fellowship in the National Cancer Institute – National Institutes of Health in USA. His previous research resulted in the discovery of several novel anticancer compounds from plant, marine and microbial organisms. After achieving the SIEF STEM+ Business Fellowship from CSIRO, Dr Tran returned to Australia in 2017 and has started working at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) since then. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in Organic Chemistry in 2023. His current research focuses on the discovery of bioactive compounds from natural sources (plants, microorganisms, bee products and aquatic organisms) with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, wound healing and neuroprotective properties for food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and agricultural applications.
Professional Membership
- Member of the American Society of Pharmacology (ASP)
- Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI)
- Member of the Topical Advisory Panels of Foods journal
Awards/Fellowships
- UniSC Recognition of Teaching Excellence (2022)
- Australian Endeavour Executive Leadership Award (2019)
- SIEF STEM+ Business Fellowship (2017-2020)
- NIH Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowship (2015-2017)
Research Grants
|
Grant/project name |
Investigators |
Funding body and AUD$ value |
Year(s) |
|
Natural Product Discovery & SAR |
Tran T., Stewart T. |
QBiotics Group, $188,870 |
2023-2025 |
|
Study on bioactive compounds of ginger Zingiber officinale |
Tran T. |
Buderim Ginger Factory, $9,880 |
2023 |
|
Selection and breeding of blushwood |
Stewart T., Tran T., Elizur A. |
QBiotics Group, $335,909 |
2023-2025 |
|
Novel solutions for inducing ovarian maturation in the black tiger prawn Penaeus monodon |
Ventura T., Elizur A., Cummins S., Wang T., Tran T., Johnston C., Suwansa-ard S. |
FRDC, $763,344 |
2022-2025 |
|
2D LC-QTOF MS/MS for UniSC Metabolomics |
Tran T., Elizur A., Lagopoulos J., Cummins S., Yule C., Chittleborough D., Ventura T., Herzig V., Russell F., Lee D., Holmes M., Maher J., Wang T., Brooks P., Boufridi A. |
UniSC, $657,061 |
2022-2023 |
|
Australian native stingless bee propolis and resin sources |
Tran T., Conroy G., Stewart T., Wallace H. |
UniSC, $36,000 |
2022-2023 |
|
Exploring health related Bioproducts from Sydney Rock Oysters |
Elizur A., Franco C., Suwansa-ard S., Liang Q., Wang T., McMillan D., Cummins S., Tran T., Dove M., O’Connor W. |
MBCRC, $600,000 |
2022-2025 |
|
Australian propolis as a source of novel antimicrobial molecules |
McMillan D., Tran T., Yule C., Pollak N. |
UniSC, $25,513 |
2022-2023 |
|
Understanding the potential nutritional and medicinal benefits of Australian stingless bee propolis |
Tran T. |
DISR, $75,320 |
2022-2023 |
|
Neuroprotective compositions of the Eastern Australian monofloral honey |
Tran T. |
AgriFutures Australia, $9,545 |
2022-2023 |
|
Novel drug discovery and raw material development |
Ogbourne S., Tran T. |
QBiotics Group, $308,512 |
2022-2023 |
|
Chemical diversity investigation of Australian regional propolis |
Tran T., Brooks P. |
Hive and Wellness Australia, $34,450 |
2020-2021 |
|
Drug discovery and development |
Ogbourne S., Wallace H., Trueman S., Tran T., McMillan D. |
QBiotics Group, $1,143,497 |
2019-2022 |
|
Evaluation of the effect of glyphosate and aminomethyl-phosphonic acid residues on soil microorganisms during riparian revegetation in Southeast Queensland |
Tran T. |
UniSC, $3,990 |
2018 |
|
Discovery and development of bioactive natural products isolated from Queensland’s tropical rainforests |
Tran T. |
CSIRO, $508,872 |
2017-2020 |
Research areas
- Natural product biodiscovery
- Drug discovery
- Food analysis
- Metabolomics and lipidomics
Teaching areas
Dr Trong Tran's specialist areas of knowledge include natural product biodiscovery, drug discovery, food analysis, metabolomics, lipidomics, chromatography, mass spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy