Viet-Cuong (Cuong) is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Curtin University (Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Australia). His PhD project is on exploring the role of soil microbiomes in controlling Sclerotinia stem rot in canola and pulse crops, and the potential for biocontrol of this destructive disease. He is a member of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), the Australasian Plant Pathology Society (APPS), and the Applied Microbiology International (AMI). He also serves as an academic editor for two scientific journals, New Disease Reports (British Society for Plant Pathology) and Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection. His areas of expertise are i) the diagnosis and identification of plant pathogens; and ii) the biological control of plant diseases using antagonistic microorganisms and microbiome manipulation/engineering. He strives to create sustainable innovative microbial-based solutions to maintain plant health and reduce yield losses caused by plant pathogens.
Prior to joining the CCDM in 2022, Viet-Cuong received a Bachelor's degree in Plant Pathology and Plant Protection at Vietnam National University of Agriculture (2018) with a major in identification and biological control of plant pathogens, then obtained a Master's degree at Chonnam National University (South Korea, 2021) in the same field with an in-depth focus on underlying mechanisms of biological control agents and biopesticide development.