GEMS 2027 Thematic Cluster: A Multi-Scale Investigation of Climate-Associated Antimicrobial Resistance Dynamics across Molecular, Community and Clinical Dimensions.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and climate change represent two converging global health emergencies, yet the biological and epidemiological pathways connecting them remain poorly characterised. This cluster addresses that gap through three independently executable projects that together build a coherent, multi-scale program of evidence linking climate exposures to AMR dynamics across molecular, community and clinical settings.
Impact: These projects generate the foundational scientific evidence needed to embed climate adaptation into AMR surveillance frameworks, stewardship programmes, and public health policy.
Project 1 (Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences )
Shotgun Metagenomic Profiling of Seasonal and Climatic Effects on Gut Microbiome and Resistome Dynamics in a Community Cohort
Climate change and extreme weather events are increasingly recognised as drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), yet their influence on the human gut microbiome and resistome remains poorly understood.
This project will engage a community-based cohort to investigate climate-associated changes in gut microbial composition and AMR gene dynamics longitudinally. Serial stool samples will be collected from community participants, matched for ethnicity, age and sex. Sociodemographic and clinical factors such as diet, antibiotic use, and lifestyle data will be collected.
Shotgun metagenomic sequencing will be used to characterise gut microbiome and resistome. Longitudinal microbial and AMR gene profiles will be integrated with open-source meteorological data, including temperature, rainfall, and records of extreme weather events. The study aims to investigate seasonal and climate-related impacts on the gut microbiome and resistome. The outcome from this study will generate foundational evidence to inform AMR surveillance strategies and the design of climate-responsive public health interventions.
For enquiries, please contact Dr Polly Yap
For more information about this project, please visit our GEMS website.
How to Apply
When you apply for admission into your preferred degree program you will be able to select your scholarship type. No separate application is required.
By clicking on a course, you will be directed to further information, including details on ‘How to Apply’.
However, before applying for a GEMS, it is recommended that you first contact the main supervisor for this GEMS research topic. Please provide details of your academic background and achievements to the supervisor so that they can assess your suitability for the GEMS research topic you are interested in.
Main Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Polly Yap
Associate Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Vengadesh Letchumanan, Assoc. Prof. Chong Chun Wie
Associate Supervisor (Australia): Prof. Anton Peleg, Dr Andre Mu
Project 2 (School of Science)
Decoding the climate–resistance link: spectral and transcriptomic responses of resistant and sensitive E. coli to environmental stress
Climate change is intensifying the environmental stresses bacteria face, and rising temperatures are increasingly linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
This project examines how climate-relevant stressors reshape resistant versus sensitive Escherichia coli. In the first phase, E. coli will be isolated and characterised from stool samples collected from consenting volunteers, yielding matched resistant and sensitive strains. These will be exposed to controlled climate-relevant stressors, elevated temperature, with vibrational spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR and Raman) tracking the evolving biochemical fingerprint and matched RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) resolving the underlying transcriptomics. To capture in vivo-like infection conditions, the Galleria mellonella larval model, well established in Dr Tan's lab, will be used at elevated temperatures to examine how climate stressors alter bacterial responses and virulence, again profiled by spectroscopy and RNA-seq. Integrating these layers will reveal whether resistance alters stress adaptation and whether warming modulates virulence, thereby informing AMR mechanisms, host–pathogen dynamics, and potentially rapid diagnostics.
For enquiries, please contact Dr Patrick Tan Hock Siew
For more information about this project, please visit our GEMS website.
How to Apply
When you apply for admission into your preferred degree program you will be able to select your scholarship type. No separate application is required.
By clicking on a course, you will be directed to further information, including details on ‘How to Apply’.
However, before applying for a GEMS, it is recommended that you first contact the main supervisor for this GEMS research topic. Please provide details of your academic background and achievements to the supervisor so that they can assess your suitability for the GEMS research topic you are interested in.
Main Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Patrick Tan Hock Siew
Associate Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Foo Su Chern
Associate Supervisor (Australia): Prof. Anton Peleg, Dr Kamila Kochan
Project 3 (Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Climate change and ESKAPEE pathogen resistance: a localised mixed-methods study
Growing evidence shows that climate-induced temperature rises directly accelerate bacterial growth and resistance mutations, while extreme weather events indirectly affect healthcare disruptions and antibiotic misuse. This mixed-methods project will investigate how localised climate extremes - specifically heatwaves and flooding - influence the prevalence and resistance profiles of ESKAPEE pathogens within a Malaysian hospital’s catchment area.
The study begins with a scoping review to map the current scientific understanding of climate-driven resistance and identify empirical gaps. To examine this locally, the quantitative phase utilises retrospective datasets of clinical isolates and localised meteorological data, employing time-series modeling to identify correlations and lag-effects between weather anomalies and resistance trends. Complementing this, the qualitative phase uses semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers to explore operational vulnerabilities and behavioral drivers within the hospital's existing antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme during weather crises.
Ultimately, this study bridges planetary health and epidemiology to fortify the current AMS programme against climate-driven resistance patterns.
For enquiries, please contact Dr Nur Alia Johari
For more information about this project, please visit our GEMS website.
How to Apply
When you apply for admission into your preferred degree program you will be able to select your scholarship type. No separate application is required.
By clicking on a course, you will be directed to further information, including details on ‘How to Apply’.
However, before applying for a GEMS, it is recommended that you first contact the main supervisor for this GEMS research topic. Please provide details of your academic background and achievements to the supervisor so that they can assess your suitability for the GEMS research topic you are interested in.
Main Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Nur Alia Johari
Associate Supervisor (Malaysia): Dr Hamimatunnisa Joha, Dr Geetha Maniam
Associate Supervisor (Australia): Prof. Mark Davis