Dr. Kidon Sung graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in food science and technology from the Kangwon National University, South Korea. Dr. Sung then earned his Ph.D. in focusing on the food safety area from the University of Georgia. He studied a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay to detect viable Campylobacter jejuni during his graduate school. Dr. Sung joined the Division of Microbiology, National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), FDA, Jefferson, AR, as a postdoctoral research fellow and has worked as a staff fellow. Dr. Sung is a recipient of the Ambassadorial Scholar of International Rotary Club (1998), the Developing Scientist Award of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) (2002), the FDA Group Recognition Award (2007), the FDA Excellence in Laboratory Science Group Award (2009, 2015), and the NCTR Special Act Award (2018).

Dr. Sung is interested in biofilm formation on medical devices, the development of rapid methods for detecting antibiotic-resistant genes, molecular characterization of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, and development of selective media to isolate foodborne pathogens, the interaction between pathogenic bacteria and human cells, and risk assessment of B. anthracis in the food matrix. Dr. Sung’s other research interests include food safety, antimicrobial resistance, and bioterrorism.