Dr Uzma Basit Khan

Senior Computer Biologist

Alumni

This person is a member of Sanger Institute Alumni.

I have worked at the Wellcome Sanger Institute for about 5 years (Feb 2020 till June 2024). I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow in microbial informatics at the University of Oxford (Jul 2024 till Jul 2026).

^{For the past five years at the Sanger Institute, I've delved into the genomic analysis of global Group B Streptococcus (GBS), uncovering antibiotic resistance mechanisms. As a bioinformatics trainer, I've also collaborated with JUNO partners, contributing to impactful scientific publications.}

From Genomes to Global Impact: My Sanger Experience

I have worked at the Sanger Institute as a Senior Computational Biologist in the JUNO project from Feb 2020 to Jun 2024. My research primarily focused on studying the evolution, epidemiology, and antimicrobial resistance in disease-causing and colonizing GBS strains from various countries. I developed the first comprehensive GBS database and led the analysis of approximately 27,000 global GBS genomes to address key questions in GBS disease and vaccine development.

I have a passion for teaching and sharing skills and knowledge with others. During my tenure at the Sanger Institute, I worked as a bioinformatics trainer and conducted workshops in Colombia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Additionally, I supervised various research projects of JUNO partners, assisting them with workflow analysis and manuscript preparation.

I have had the honor of being invited as a plenary speaker at international GBS and pediatric infection conferences to share my research findings with the wider community.

I completed my PhD in Medicine from Cardiff University in 2020, where I conducted intensive genomic interrogation of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and systematic phenotypic antimicrobial resistance profiling for all invasive and non-invasive GBS infections in adults in the UK, Brazil, and Australia between 2014 and 2015. Furthermore, I conducted research on capsular switching mechanisms, phylogenetic relationships among strains belonging to the five main GBS lineages, mobile elements carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, and performed a pangenome-wide association study to identify lineage-specific genes potentially suitable as vaccine candidates.

My timeline

• Postdoctoral fellow in Microbial Informatics - University of Oxford, UK

• PhD in Computational Biology - Cardiff University, UK

• Senior Computational Biologist - Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK