Research Specialization: Microbiology

Dr. Waseem’s interest lies in the development of platforms to explore antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the human beings, animal and environment. Apart from developing improved methods for detecting ARGs, he is studying their linkages with each other (antimicrobial gene circuits). He has the expertise of employing sophisticated molecular techniques, e.g., Wafergen’ SmartChip, capable of carrying out more than 5,000 PCR reactions. He has also worked and published on the generation of clean energy using biological organisms and on resource recovery. However, the kinds of platforms needed for the said research are difficult to use in developing countries like Pakistan where research support and infrastructure is limited. Therefore, Dr. Waseem is currently designing molecular assays that are essential for developing a field-deployable highly parallel method for ARGs detection so that scientists under resource-limited settings (RLS) may also participate in solving this global crisis. He is also working in the development of cost-effective Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs). Such low-cost systems will also be extremely useful globally and especially under RLS where costly diagnostics and machinery are inaccessible for most of the population. He has also focused his work on Public Health aspects of ARGs, especially concerning the impacts of knowledge, attitude, and policymaking on antibiotic abuse and resultant dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. His work has already been published in reputed and highly cited Journals of the field with a cumulative impact factor of more than 100.  Dr. Waseem has also published several review articles and book chapters related to his field of work in collaboration with several national and international scientists from the UK, China, India, and the USA. He has an h-index and i-index of 13 each.