• KY16 9TF

    United Kingdom

Accepting Postgraduate Research Students

PhD projects

Development, optimisation and field trials of rapid quantitative diagnostics tests for tuberculosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Host Biomarkers for tuberculosis

Investigation of the drivers and burden of antibiotic resistance

Translation of health research innovations into policy and practice.

Personal profile

Biography

I am a biomedical scientist with interest in translational research, working on the interface of applied biological science and healthcare provision. My work takes a holistic approach from primary discovery and optimisation in the laboratory to addressing barriers of translating biomedical research innovations into policy and practice. Achieving this kind of work requires interdisciplinary approach and expertise, which I have achieved by bringing together international minds in various research consortia primary between UK and Africa but also continental Europe, Asia and North America. In recent years my group has focused on the development and optimisation of rapid tests for quantification of bacteria responsible for tuberculosis (TB) disease and exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).  This work has resulted in the tuberculosis Molecular Bacterial Load Assay (TB-MBLA), the first ever fully quantitative test for quantifying patient TB bacterial load and measuring the change of this load as patient responds to treatment.  Working with interdisciplinary team of researchers from UK, USA and East Africa, we are investigating the biolgical and socioeconomic drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and more recently the impact of COVID-19 on antibiotics use and risk of AMR rise. Besides research I teach Introductory epidemiology & TB pathology, diagnosis and treatment to Bachelor of Medicine- and Interdisciplinary approaches to solving global health challenges to Master of International development- students. I belong to several international learned societies and I am a member of several professional committees and/or panels: Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Academic Adviser panel, UK NIHR College of Experts for the Global Effort on COVID-19, COVID-19 Clinical Clinical Research Coalition Virology, Imunology & Diagnostics Working group, TDR/WHO AMR Knowledge management consultant and Newton fund Biomedical Science reviewer panel.

Profile Keywords

Tuberculosis, Respiratory medicine, Microbiome, Molecular Diagnotics, Antimicrobial Resistance, One health, Immunology/vaccines, Translation of Research to policy and practice, Low- and Middle- Income Countries research capacity building.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Philosophy, The mechanism of brain infection by the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, University of Birmingham

4 Oct 200910 Oct 2012

Award Date: 5 Dec 2012

Master of Science, The genetic mutations underlying the high bone mass disorder in a Dutch population, Vrije University Brussels

20 Sept 200630 Jun 2008

Award Date: 8 Oct 2008

Bachelor of Science, Evaluation of the cost-effective method to extract high quality bacterial DNA in resource limited setting in , Makerere University

1 Sept 200230 Jun 2005

Award Date: 25 Oct 2005

Keywords

  • QR180 Immunology
  • tuberculosis
  • diagnosis
  • molecular biology
  • diagnostics
  • respiratory microbiome
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • translational research
  • health systems
  • Research to policy & practice
  • Respiratory medicine
  • Microbiome

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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