Dr. Veasna Duong is a virologist with nearly 20 years of experience working on endemic and emerging arboviruses and zoonotic viruses. He began his career at the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) in 2005 and earned his PhD in Montpellier, France in 2011. He was appointed Deputy Head of the Virology Unit in 2014 and became Head of the Unit in 2020.
His research focuses on arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and Japanese encephalitis viruses, as well as emerging zoonotic viruses including coronaviruses, hantaviruses, and Nipah virus. His work spans molecular epidemiology, virus evolution, vector competence, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, and multiplex serological approaches. He has extensive experience in RNA virus discovery and in vitro and in vivo experimental systems.
Dr. Duong has coordinated and involved in major field and laboratory components of international consortia, including the EU-funded DENFRAME (FP6), DENFREE (FP7) and BCOMING (HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01) projects, the USAID-funded PREDICT and PREDICT-2 programs, NIH-funded PICREID project, and several One Health initiatives targeting pathogen detection in bats, rodents, and domestic animals. His expertise includes surveillance at the human–animal interface, outbreak investigations, and the implementation of diagnostic and bioinformatics tools in both laboratory and field settings.
With deep experience in arbovirus epidemiology and zoonotic virus emergence, Dr. Duong has contributed to strengthening capacities in Cambodia and the region through research leadership, training, and international collaboration.