Rate My Professor Nicholas Heng

Associate Professor Nicholas Heng serves as Head of the Discipline of Molecular Microbiology in the Department of Oral Sciences within the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago. He holds a BSc (Hons) and a PhD in gut microbiology from the University of Otago, obtained in 1998, followed by postdoctoral experience in rumen microbiology in the United States. Promoted to Associate Professor in 2022, Heng coordinates first-year papers for the Bachelor of Oral Health programme, including DEOH101, DEOH102, and DTEC111. He is a member of the University of Otago Institutional Biological Safety Committee and Treasurer of the New Zealand Microbiological Society. Affiliated with the Sir John Walsh Research Institute, his career at the University of Otago has focused on advancing molecular microbiology in oral health contexts.

Heng's research expertise encompasses microbial genetics, next-generation DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, and the biology of antimicrobial proteins known as bacteriocins produced by oral bacteria, particularly Streptococcus species. His investigations include whole-genome sequencing of oral microbes, metagenomic analyses of oral microbial communities in health and disease, and probiotic applications such as Streptococcus salivarius strains. Key publications include 'The diversity of bacteriocins in Gram-positive bacteria' (Heng et al., 2007, Bacteriocins: Ecology and Evolution), cited 363 times; 'Streptococcal bacteriocins and the case for Streptococcus salivarius as model oral probiotics' (Wescombe et al., 2009, Future Microbiology), cited 246 times; 'Developing Oral Probiotics from Streptococcus Salivarius' (Wescombe et al., 2012, Future Microbiology), cited 245 times; 'What's in a name? Class distinction for bacteriocins' (Heng and Tagg, 2006, Nature Reviews Microbiology), cited 183 times; and 'Genome sequence of the bacteriocin-producing oral probiotic Streptococcus salivarius strain M18' (Heng et al., 2011, Journal of Bacteriology). More recent works feature 'Nisin E, a New Nisin Variant Produced by Streptococcus equinus MDC1' (2023) and 'Genetic Characteristics Associated with Probiotic Functions in Four Indonesian Skin Microbiome-Derived Bacterial Strains' (2026). With approximately 1917 citations on ResearchGate across 69 publications, Heng's contributions have influenced understanding of oral probiotics, antimicrobial strategies, and microbial ecology in dentistry.