About
Dr Jue Sheng Ong is a distinguished disease-agnostic genetic data scientist and research entrepreneur appointed as Team Head of the newly established Global Precision Health Lab at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. He earned his PhD in Statistical Genetics from the University of Queensland in 2019 and built his career at QIMR Berghofer, joining in 2015 and serving as a postdoctoral researcher until 2024. Dr. Ong's potential was recognised early through a prestigious National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (EL1), supporting emerging leaders, and the QIMR Berghofer Postdoctoral Prize in 2023.
Complementing his scientific expertise, he holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, strategically pursued to enhance research commercialization efforts.
Dr. Ong now leads initiatives focused on leveraging large-scale genetic data and innovative strategies to advance precision health globally, with a strong commitment to addressing health disparities and empowering research in under-represented populations.
His profile reflects a deliberate integration of deep technical skill, translational vision, and a mission-driven approach to global health equity.
Research Skills
Dr Ong possesses a sophisticated skillset centred on quantitative genetics and translational research. His core expertise lies in designing and executing large-scale statistical genetics studies, utilizing extensive biobank datasets. He is an internationally recognized leader in genetic causal inference, particularly Mendelian Randomization (MR), applying these methods to dissect relationships between risk factors and diverse complex traits, including age-related disorders, cancers, and behavioural phenotypes. His capabilities extend to advanced big-data analytics, polygenic risk score (PRS) development across diverse ancestries, and multi-omics integration.
Crucially, Dr. Ong bridges discovery with application, possessing skills in research commercialization honed through programs like CSIRO ON Prime. He adeptly designs data-science projects (SaMD, SaaS) for potential translation, exemplified by his leadership of the QTrialBank initiative – a SaaS platform using multi-omics screening to enhance clinical trial participant matching. This unique combination enables him to drive research from genetic discovery towards tangible health solutions.
Area of Interest
Dr Ong's research interests converge on advancing precision health through cutting-edge genetics and equitable global application. He focuses on disease-agnostic genetic discovery, applying causal inference and other statistical techniques to large biobanks to understand the genetic underpinnings of complex traits, with a particular emphasis on age-related disorders.
A central theme is bridging the knowledge and capacity gap in genomic research for under-represented populations worldwide, especially in Asia Pacific and within Australia's diverse communities. This involves investigating the influence of genetic ancestry on disease risk and polygenic prediction, developing culturally appropriate research engagement strategies (e.g., "Sunnybank – Health in Our Community" survey, QIMR Berghofer Diverse Population working group), and fostering capacity building through international partnerships and collaborations.
Furthermore, Dr. Ong is committed to translating research findings into practice, actively exploring research commercialization pathways for data-driven health solutions (SaMD, SaaS) like the QTrialBank project, and facilitating international biobank science collaborations as a liaison member of the QIMR Berghofer Don McManus Institute of Tropical Health. His work actively builds the ecosystem needed for impactful, equitable global precision health research.
Professional Associations
- Member of the American Society of Human Genetics.
- Technical advisor for both the Malaysia MyGenom population-based genomic sequencing project and the Malaysia National Institute of Health Precision Oncology Initiative.
- Member for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia.
Funding
- NHMRC Investigator Grant (2022-2027).
Research Projects
Current Research Projects
Research engagement in under-represented populations.
Research Commercialization.
Advanced Statistical Genetics Application