Dr. Naowarat (Ann) CheepthamProfessor | Faculty of Science
Email: ncheeptham@tru.ca
Phone: 371-5891
Homepage URL:: https://ncheeptham.trubox.ca/
Research Interests
I have been fascinated with the world of biology since I went out catching butterflies as a child with my father in my native country, Thailand. My interest in microbiology developed while studying at Chiang Mai University (Thailand) and Hokkaido University (Japan). Since my doctoral work, my research interest and focus have included cave microbiomes/new drug discovery, white-nose syndrome in bats, alternative treatment tools against multidrug-resistant infections, and geomicrobiology. My work has fortunately been featured in the New York Times, WIRED, Bloomberg TV networks Spark series, Al Jazeera TV, the CBC Nature of Things (The Antibiotic Hunters episode), Global TV (Global 16x9 and Global Health), Knowledge Network, CBC radio (Daybreak) and in a number of International and Canadian magazines. In 2013, I chief edited and co-authored a book entitled Cave Microbiomes: A Novel Resource for Drug Discovery, published by Springer. Besides my research interests in cave microbiology and related areas, I am also drawn to pedagogical issues in microbiology education. In 2009, I was selected as one of the biology research residency scholars in the ASM/NSF Biology Research Residency Scholars Program and participated in an NSF-sponsored residency in Washington DC. I have continuously been involved with ASM Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education (JMBE) as a reviewer and was a section editor until 2018. In the course of my career at TRU, I have been honored as a recipient of a number of faculty awards. Recently, I am the recipient of the 2022 3M National Teaching Fellowship from the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) and 3M, the 2020 TRU Faculty Excellence Award and the 2020 D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning STLHE and D2L (Desire2Learn). Additionally, with Drs. Carol Rees and Michelle Harrison and partnering with the School District 73 Kamloops Thompson, we have been successfully awarded the 2020-2021 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grants Covid-19 Special Initiative 1C research project entitled "Supporting curiosity-driven inquiry-based science education online through a community-of-inquiry partnership: rethinking pedagogical approaches during the Covid-19 pandemic". I am a Full Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.
Education
March 1999
Ph.D. in Applied Microbiology
Department of Bioscience and Chemistry, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
March 1996
M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology Department of Bioscience and Chemistry, Hokkaido University, Sapporo,
Japan
April 1993 March 1994
Japanese language/research student
International Study Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
March 1993
B. Sc. in Biology (First Class Honours, Silver Medal)
Major: Microbiology, Minor: Chemistry
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
Publications
See some selected publications at https://ncheeptham.trubox.ca
Employment History
April 2003 Present
Microbiology Laboratory Director
On consulting basis, EcoTech Laboratory, Kamloops, BC
May 2002 Present Adjunct Assistant Professor
Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
August 2002 Present
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University (formerly the University College of the
Cariboo), 900 McGill, Box 3010, Kamloops, BC, V2C 5N3
November 2001 May 2002
Senior Research Scientist
KAM Biotechnology Ltd. Surrey, BC
September 2001
Lecturer
The Vancouver School of Theology, Chalmers Institute, UBC
August 2001 November 2001
Honorary Research Associate
Department of Botany, The University of British Columbia, UBC
May 1999 April 2001
Tenured Lecturer
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University
Courses Taught
BIOL 2160 Introduction to Microbiology
BIOL 3800 Fermentation
BIOL 3980 Introduction to Research
BIOL 4130: Molecular Evolution
BIOL 4480: Directed Study
BIOL 4990: Honours Program
BIOL 4490: Medical Microbiology
BIOL 4490: International Field School in Thailand on Microorganisms, Human Behaviors, and Climate Change
(2023)
Professional Affiliations
ASM, CSM, AMMI
