Beng Kingsly Chuo was born in Wum, Cameroon, Central Africa.
He completed undergraduate studies in Botany and Environmental Science in 2006 at the University of Buea, Cameroon. He came to China in 2009, and studied Chinese Language at Anhui University for one year. In 2010, Beng received the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) Scholarship for International Students to pursue his MSc and PhD degrees. Beng successfully completed his PhD in 2016.
In his PhD project, Beng used DNA metabarcoding to study spatial and temporal changes in invertebrate communities between native tropical forests in Xishuangbanna, China, and the major agricultural plantations that have replaced them, namely tea (Camellia sinensis) and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis). In the process, Beng and his collaborators developed a cheaper DNA metabarcoding protocol that works effectively for litter fauna and other groups of organisms that are difficult to assess with traditional methods. Beng’s PhD thesis included elements of method design and ecological analysis, and produced two scientific publications.
Beng is currently a Postdoc at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the application of DNA metabarcoding for monitoring soil biodiversity in the tropics/subtropics. He has experience in community analysis of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes using metabarcoding data, and a strong interest in evolutionary and ecological questions. Beng possess excellent molecular laboratory skills with experience in generating and analysing next-generation sequencing data. He also has strong communication and organisational skills gained through scientific writing, research collaboration and extensive field work.