Diseases from Virus to the Genome
Our theme is “Diseases from virus to the genome”. We will explore NanoVar, a comprehensive workflow for structural variant detection to uncover the human genome’s hidden patterns, and tracking circulation of avian influenza viruses among wild birds in Atlantic Canada during an ongoing panzootic.
This seminar will be presented in a Hybrid format: in-person at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and online via Microsoft Teams. The seminar will be followed by an in-person social event at Memorial University. We hope you’ll join us to network with our speakers and peers!
We are offering bursaries of up to $100 CAD for caregivers who are interested in attending BAtl seminars in person to offset costs of caregiving responsibilities. One person can be eligible for multiple bursaries.
Schedule
| Time (NDT) | Event | Format | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:30 | Seminar | Hybrid | In-person: Room CSF 1302, Core Science Facility, Memorial University, 45 Arctic Ave, St. John’s, NL Virtual: MS Teams |
| 18:30 | Social Event | In-person | Room CSF 1302, Core Science Facility, Memorial University, 45 Arctic Ave, St. John’s, NL |
Meet our Speakers
Ishraq Rahman,
Postdoctoral Fellow at
Memorial University
Ishraq Rahman is a microbiologist whose research interests include microbial disease ecology in wildlife and the zoonotic potential of emerging microorganisms. He obtained a BSc (Biotechnology) and a MSc (Research) degree from Swinburne University of Technology in Malaysia. He also served as a faculty member at the International University of Business, Agriculture and Technology in Bangladesh. He recently defended his PhD thesis in the Department of Biology in Memorial University. During his PhD, he studied the transmission and circulation of avian influenza viruses (AIV) among wild birds in Atlantic Canada. He is currently working on projects to characterise the prevalence of AIV in terrestrial and marine mammals in Atlantic Canada.
Asmaa Mahmoud,
Ph.D. Candidate at
Memorial University
Asmaa Mahmoud is a PhD candidate in Human Genetics at Memorial University, working under the supervision of Dr. Touati Benoukraf. Her research focuses on characterizing structural variants and repetitive elements in human diseases using long-read sequencing technologies, aiming to improve our understanding of disease development. Asmaa holds a BSc in Biomedical Science from Zewail University of Science and Technology, Egypt, and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics from Istanbul Medipol University, Turkey.
Meet our Host:
Lourdes Peña-Castillo,
Professor at
Memorial University
Dr. Lourdes Peña-Castillo is a Professor in Bioinformatics jointly appointed to the Departments of Computer Science and Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She leads the Bioinformatics lab at MUN lab which is focused on the application of machine learning-based methods to solve microbiology problems. Before coming to MUN in 2010, Lourdes obtained her master’s degree from the University of Alberta, got her Ph.D. from the Otto-von-Guericke University in Germany, and did a 3-year postdoc in the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research at the University of Toronto.
