Research Experiences

Post Doctoral Scientist                                                                                                  Aug 2025 - Present

Location: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada ; University of Ottawa, Canada

Principal Investigator (PI): Dr Marisa Azad

Research and Innovation

• Leading the development and structure activity optimization of novel antimicrobial peptides targeting isolated from periprosthetic joint infections (PJI).

• Prepared and submitted Research Ethics Board (REB) applications for clinical sample collection and translational microbiology studies involving synovial fluid and tissue specimens.

• Oversaw day-to-day lab operations, including inventory control, procurement of reagents and consumables, vendor communication, and compliance with biosafety and quality standards.

• Coordinated Olink proteomic profiling to differentiate between PJI, autoimmune diseases, and aseptic failures, contributing to biomarker discovery for diagnostic improvement.

PhD Project                                                                                                                   Sep 2019 - July 2025

Location: CHUL Hospital Research Center, Quebec City and INAF - Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Thesis Title: Design, synthesis, and activity of antimicrobial peptide mimetics as alternatives to antibiotics in the food, animal husbandry, pharmaceutical, and medical sectors

Principal Investigators (PIs): Prof. Eric Biron & Prof. Ismail Fliss

Research and Innovation

• Led the design and validation of 21 novel antimicrobial lipopeptides targeting multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, successfully validating 4 with significant efficacy.

• Conducted comprehensive assessments to estimate the potentiator effects of Humimycin analogs, enhancing β-lactams antibiotics properties with critical micelle concentration effect.

• Demonstrated the synergistic effects of Humimycin analogs when used in conjunction with traditional antibiotics, significantly improving their efficacy.

• Pioneered the application of these findings to the development of contact lens cleaning solution, contact lenses and catheter biofilm, showcasing potential for real-world healthcare applications.

Project Management & Leadership

·         Established a Safety Level 2 microbiology lab activity with SOPs in Prof Eric Biron’s lab.

·         Secured $90k in funding, $12K+ competition and travel awards, mentored 3 graduate students and 2 interns, ensuring project and lab excellence.

Research Assistant                                                                                                   Oct 2017 - Aug 2019

Location: Department of Chemistry, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Project: Rapid prototyping of monolith integrated plastic microfluidic devices for food safety: coupled with ICP-MS

Principal Investigator (PI): Prof. Jesse Greener & Prof. Dominic Larivère
Role: Assisted in the development of innovative microfluidic devices for enhancing food safety. Work involved rapid prototyping of plastic microfluidic devices and integration with ICP-MS to detect contaminants.

Research Assistant                                                                                                   Sep 2016 - Sep 2017
Location: Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Project: Effect of PdxA gene on vitamin B6 production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Principal Investigator (PI): Prof. Lauyan Ma

Role: Conducted molecular biology experiments to elucidate the role of the PdxA gene in vitamin B6 biosynthesis, contributing to understanding bacterial metabolism and potential therapeutic targets.

Master Research                                                                                                       Sep 2013 - Aug 2016
Location: National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food and State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

Thesis Title: The anti-quorum sensing and anti-biofilm mechanism of spices and their application in food matrix

Principal Investigator (PI): Prof. Zaixiang Lou & Prof. Hongxin Wang

Role: Investigated the effects of various spices on quorum sensing and biofilm formation of food borne pathogens, aiming to explore natural preservatives for food safety applications and wireless sensor development for online testing of S. aureus.

BSc Research                                                                                                             Jan 2012 - Jun 2012

Location: Department of Food Technology and Rural Industries, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
Project: Effect of blanching on enzyme inactivation and vitamin C content of potato tuber

Principal Investigator (PI): Prof. Nazrul Islam

Role: Analyzed the impact of blanching on the nutritional quality of potatoes, focusing on enzyme inactivation and vitamin C retention. This project provided practical insights into food processing techniques and it was a teamwork.