Guillaume THIBAULT, PhD
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
School of Biological Sciences
Nanyang Technological University
60 Nanyang Drive, SBS-03n-27
Singapore 637551
Tel +65 6592 1787
Guillaume Thibault is an Associate Professor (tenured) at the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he also serves as Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) at the College of Science and Senator on the 10th NTU Senate. A biochemist and cell biologist by training, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and completed postdoctoral work at Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory before establishing his independent research program at NTU, supported by the Elite Nanyang Assistant Professorship Award.
His research investigates the interplay between lipid homeostasis and the unfolded protein response, with translational relevance to aging, metabolic disease, and wound infection. This work has been published in leading journals including Science, Molecular Cell, Nature Communications, Cell Host & Microbe, and eLife, and has attracted over S$8.75M in competitive funding as Lead PI. Beyond NTU, he is the founding President of the Society for Cell Biology Singapore, an Associate Editor for Molecular Biology of the Cell and Cell Biology International, Lead Organizer of the 2025 FASEB Endoplasmic Reticulum conference, and serves on multiple committees of the American Society for Cell Biology.
Employment History
2026-currAssociate Dean (Graduate Studies), College of Science, Nanyang Technological University
2022-currAssociate Professor (tenured), School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University
2021-currCo-Principal Investigator, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore (MBI), Singapore
2023-2026Assistant Dean (International Engagement), College of Science, Nanyang Technological University
2022-2023Assistant Chair (Graduate Education), School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University
2019-2022Adjunct Principal Investigator, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR, Singapore
2013-2022Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University
2008-2013Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore
2004-2006Treasurer (elected position), Graduate Students’ Union (GSU), University of Toronto, Canada
1996-2000Research Technician, INRS – Institut Armand-Frappier, Université of Québec, Canada
Academic Qualifications
2013Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore
2007Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Canada
2002B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
1999Diploma in Analytical Chemistry, Collège Ahuntsic, Canada
Publications
Funding and Awards
CURRENT
2026-2030NMRC OF-IRG July 2025 Grant Call, Linking Bacterial Oxidative Stress and ER Stress in Chronic Wound Pathogenesis, Lead PI.
2024-2027MOE AcRF Tier 1 September 2024 Grant Call, Age-related mRNA degradation by endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor IRE1, Lead PI.
2023-2030NRF Mid-Size Grant Call 2022, Mechanobiology in development, aging and disease, Team PI.
2021-2026MOE AcRF Tier 3 2020, Endomembrane System Dynamics, Architecture, and Functions in Aging Cells and Tissues, Team PI.
COMPLETED
2024Singapore Open Research Award.
2023-2025MOE AcRF Tier 1 September 2022 Grant Call, Exploring the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in epithelial cell differentiation, Lead PI.
2023-2025MOE AcRF Tier 1 March 2022 Grant Call, Connect choline deficiency during pregnancy with unfolded protein response and Alzheimer diseases, Co-PI.
2021-2025NMRC OF-IRG November 2019 Grant Call, Targeting Host-Pathogen Synergy in Wound Infection, Lead PI.
2020-2022MOE AcRF Tier 1 September 2019 Grant Call, Adaptor protein WDFY3 is neuroprotective by counteracting age-mediated decline in proteostasis, Lead PI.
2019-20223rd NRF-NSFC Grant Call, Identify essential genes to construct a functional unfolded protein response programme using synthetic biology, Lead PI.
2019-2021NTU EdeX Grant, Improving student learning using open-ended question assessment with machine learning-driven immediate feedback, Lead PI.
2018-2021MOE AcRF Tier 2 February 2018 Grant Call, Characterising the anti-aging role of the UPR from high glucose diet, Lead PI.
2016-2018MOE, AcRF Tier 1 Grant, Elucidating Exosomes Biogenesis and Uptake in Cancer Progression, Lead PI.
2016-2018MOE AcRF Tier 1 Grant, Catalytic Synthesis and Metabolism of Site-Specific Deuterated Essential Fatty Acids, Lead PI.
2015-2016MOE AcRF Tier 1 Grant, From Dietary Excess to Neurodegeneration: Finding the Missing Links in Vesicular Autophagy Transport, Degradation, and Stress, Lead PI.
2013-2016The Elite Nanyang Assistant Professorship Award 2013, Nanyang Technological University.
2009-2011Singapore Millennium Foundation Post-Doctoral Award (competitive fellowship).
2006-2007Fonds de Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies du Québec Graduate Scholarship.
2006David A. Scott Award, Department of Biochemistry – University of Toronto (DB-UofT). Best all-round Graduate Student.
2004-2006Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS D), Doctoral research.
2004Bradley Pett Graduate Award for academic excellence, DB-UofT.
2004Beckman Coulter Award for best first-author publication, DB-UofT.
20033rd place poster award (M.Sc. category), DB-UofT.
2002-2004NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship (PGS A), Master research.
2002NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, UofT.
2002Boehringer Ingelheim Award in biochemistry for academic excellence, UQAM Foundation.
Teaching
BS3022 Protein Trafficking • Course Instructor
BS3340 Science of aging and life extension in C. elegans • Course Coordinator
Service and Committees
2025-2026Senator, 10th Senate, Nanyang Technological University.
2025Lead-Organizer, FASEB meeting 2025, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Melbourne, Florida.
2025-currPresident, Society for Cell Biology Singapore (SCBS).
2024-currMember, American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Nomination Committee.
2024-currMember, ASCB Publication Committee.
2024-currAssociate Editor, Cell Biology International.
2023-currAssociate Editor, Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC).
2023-currVice-President, SCBS.
2023Co-Organizer, FASEB meeting 2023, The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Conference: Structure, Function, and Disease, Melbourne, FL, USA.
2023-currMember, ASCB International Affairs Committee.
2022Associate Member, ASCB International Affairs Committee.
2022-2023Founding President, SCBS.
2022Minisymposia Co-Chair, ASCB│EMBO Cell Bio 2022, Cells in Distress and Disease – Endomembrane trafficking in health and diseases, Washington DC, USA.
2020-currChair, SBS Outreach Committee.
2019-currCoordinator, Graduate Student Seminar Series, School of Biological Sciences, NTU.
2017-currInternational Scientific Program Committee Member, Asia-Pacific Worm Meeting, Seoul, South Korea (2018); Taipei, Taiwan (2020 cancelled due to COVID-19; postponed to 2022).
2021International Meeting Session Organizerand Chair, ASCB│EMBO 2021 Meeting, subgroup session The Interplay Between Lipids and Proteins in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): How the ER is the Master Regulator of the Cell Universe, Virtual (2021).
2019International Meeting Session Organizerand Chair, ASCB│EMBO 2019 Meeting, subgroup session Lipids and Proteins in the Secretory Pathway - Homeostasis and Stress, Washington, DC, USA.
2018-2019Editorfor the Research Topic "Connections to Membrane Trafficking Where you Least Expect Them: Diseases, Dynamics, Diet and Distance" in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology and Frontiers in Physiology
2017International Meeting Session Organizerand Chair, ASCB│EMBO 2017 Meeting, subgroup session The Intersection of Lipids and Proteins in the Secretory Pathway, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
2015International Meeting Session Organizerand Chair, ASCB Annual Meeting 2015, subgroup session Dynamic Interplay between Lipids, Curvatures, and Diseases of Biological Membranes, San Diego, CA, USA.
2010-2013F1000 Associate Faculty Member. Regularly contributing evaluation of papers published in biological sciences to the Faculty of 1000 Biology.