Faculty
Faculty Details
Faculty Details
Prof. Niyaz Ahmed is a One
Health epidemiologist and professor of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at the School of Life Sciences. He has contributed pioneering studies in the
area of Molecular Epidemiology in India, for which he was given the ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize’, India’s
foremost Science Prize, in the area of Medical Sciences in 2016. He also served
as the Senior Director at the International
Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,
b) in an international leadership position from Nov 2016 to March 2020 (UN eq
scale D1 step 8). A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology,
the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), the Royal Society of Biology (UK)
and the National Academy of Sciences India, Prof. Ahmed serves as the founder Editor -in-Chief of Gut Pathogens journal since 2008. In 2017, Dr Ahmed was awarded the Microsoft Azure for Research Award in
Public Health to work towards genomics of identification of new genes, new
proteins and novel pathways underlying the multiple drug resistance phenotypes
in bacteria. Dr Ahmed has earlier received the ‘University of Hyderabad
Chancellor’s Award’ from the then Chancellor of the University, Dr C.
Rangarajan (the former Governor of the state of Andhra Pradesh and the former
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India). He is also the recipient of the
‘National Bioscience Award’ of the Government of India. Dr Ahmed also
holds appointment as Adjunct Professor of the Academy of
Scientific and Innovative Research. He is the Corresponding Fellow of the European
Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group. In 2011, Prof. Ahmed was invited to the
position of Academic Icon Professor in Courtesy at the University of Malaya
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in a visiting capacity, which he occupied until 2015.
Research Interests:
Prof. Ahmed’s main research interest
is about how bacteria interact with humans and the environment in order to
evolve fitness advantages such as multiple drug-resistance and strain/host
specific virulence? Prof. Ahmed's work provided wheels to the emerging discipline of Functional
molecular infection epidemiology. His research interests encompass genomics,
evolution and molecular pathogenesis of enteric pathogens with major emphasis
on virulence and antimicrobial resistance. He also contributed important
initial studies on the two co-evolved human pathogens, namely, Mycobacterium
tuberculosis and Helicobacter
pylori, in the context of evolution of
adaptation mechanisms, and acquisition and optimization of virulence during
colonization/infection. Prof. Ahmed also has interest in
comparative genomics of bacterial pathogens obtained from single patients at
different occasions. His contribution to public health microbiology and veterinary
medicine entails molecular infection epidemiology and genome sequence based
evolutionary dynamics of chronic human pathogens such as Mycobacteria and
Helicobacters. His group also researches zoonotic (leptospirosis,
salmonellosis, colibacillosis, bovine TB, Johne’s disease) and food borne
infections (Yersinia
enterocolitica, Helicobacter pullorum) as well as the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in
enteric bacteria. Dr Ahmed contributed pioneering efforts in characterizing
tuberculosis in sea lions through molecular and genomic markers in 2003 and
provided working evidence for a new species of tubercle bacilli in seals (Ahmed
N. et al. Infection Genetics and Evolution, 2003 Feb;2(3):193-199). These and other studies of Prof. Ahmed form the base, and
precede the realms of disease control and prevention through epidemiological
studies underpinned by high-resolution genomics in order to guide global infection control
priorities in the areas of human and animal health.
Students/Projects Trainees
| Name | Joined As | Contact | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Sabiha Shaik | Research Associate -3 (Post doctroal fellow) | shaik.sabiha@gmail.com | 04023134685 |
| Dr Bindu Ambaru | Scientist B | bindu.ambaru@gmail.com | 04023134685 |
| Ms Anuradha Singh | PhD scholar - Junior Research Fellow (DBT sponsored) | anuradhasingh9953@gmail.com | 04023134685 |
| Mr Viraj Bandsode | PhD Scholar | bandsodeviraj21@gmail.com | 04023134685 |
| Mr Dharmesh Bisoriya | MTech dissertation student | dharmeshbisoriya@gmail.com | 04023134685 |
Former Students/Projects Trainees
| Name | Joined As | Working |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Savita Devi | PhD Scholar | Cedars-Sinai Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, California, USA |
| Dr Shivendra Tenguria | PhD Scholar | Cedars-Sinai Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, California, USA |
| Dr Suma Tiruvayipati | PhD Scholar (@ University of Malaya) | National University of Singapore/Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore |
| Dr Ashutosh Kumar | PhD Scholar | Central University of Tripura, India |
| Dr Ramani Baddam | PhD Scholar | Novartis India, Hyderabad, India |
| Dr Amit Ranjan | PhD Scholar | Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University, New York, USA |
| Dr P Sandhya Rani | PhD Scholar | Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India |
| Dr Nishant Nandanwar | Research Fellow/SRF | Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Dr Narender Kumar | PhD Scholar | Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK |
| Dr Suhail A. Ansari | PhD Scholar | Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany |
| Dr Majjid Qaria | PhD Scholar (International) | Wu Lien-Teh Institute, Department of Microbiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, P.R. China |
| 2 | Link to pubMED list of all of our papers from (1999) up to (2022) , (copy paste the link in browser) , https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Niyaz Ahmed , ,,,. |
| 1 | Shaik S, Singh A, Suresh A, Ahmed N. (2022) , Genome Informatics and Machine Learning-Based Identification of Antimicrobial Resistance-Encoding Features and Virulence Attributes in Escherichia coli Genomes Representing Globally Prevalent Lineages, Including High-Risk Clonal Complexes , mBio, American Society for Microbiology,13,,e0379621 IF - 7.87. |
| Title | Year | Duration | Amount(In Lakhs) | PI/I |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONTROL OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE-DRAWING ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FROM SURVEILLANCE AND WHOLE-GENOME SEQUENCING DATA (Bioinformatics project) | 2021 | 2 | 320000000000 | Prof. Niyaz Ahmed |
| Microsoft Azure for Research Award in Public Health (Compute time and Azure Resources) -collaborative project | 2017 | 3 | 150000000000 | Prof. Niyaz Ahmed |
| Elucidation and characterization of the Novel Virulence Mechanisms Encoded by the Genomic Plasticity zone of the Human Gastric Pathogen Helicobacter pylori | 2013 | 3 | 1000000000000 | Prof. Niyaz Ahmed |
1. Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (United States) -2018
2. Microsoft Azure Award for Research in Public Health (Microsoft Corporation) - 2017
3. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Medical Sciences (India) - 2016
4. Elected, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), UK - 2015
5. Elected, Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), UK - 2015
6. Elected, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences India - 2015
7. University of Hyderabad Chancellor’s Award – 2015
8. European Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Group – Best Presentation Award, XXVIIIth International Workshop, Nicosia, Cyprus (Sept 24-26, 2015)
9. Academy Professor, Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research, India - 2013 to 2016
10. Academic Icon Visiting Professor Award, University of Malaya, Malaysia - 2013 to 2015
11. National Bioscience Award of India - 2011
12. Member, Experts’ Collegium, Skolkovo Foundation, Moscow - 2011 till date
13. Member, PLOS International Advisory Board, Public Library of Science, USA - 2009 to 2014
14. Corresponding Fellow, European Helicobacter & Microbiota Study Group (EHMSG) - 2008 till date
15. VIIIth Infection, Genetics & Evolution Award (Elsevier Science/MEEGID Society) - 2006
(Access here all publications of Dr Ahmed through pubMED)
1) Suresh A, Shaik S, Baddam R, Ranjan A, Qumar S, Jadhav S, Semmler T, Ghazi IA, Wieler LH, Ahmed N. Evolutionary Dynamics Based on Comparative Genomics of
Pathogenic Escherichia coli Lineages Harboring Polyketide Synthase (pks) Island. mBio 2021 Mar 2;12(1):e03634-20. (2020 IF: 7.87).
2) Baddam R, Sarker N, Ahmed D, Mazumder R, Abdullah A, Morshed R, Hussain A, Begum S, Shahrin L, Khan AI, Islam MS, Ahmed T, Alam M, Clemens JD, Ahmed N. Genome Dynamics of Vibrio cholerae Isolates Linked to Seasonal Outbreaks of Cholera in Dhaka, Bangladesh. mBio 2020 Feb 11;11(1). pii: e03339-19. (2020 IF: 7.87).
3) Ranjan A, Shaik S, Nandanwar N, Hussain A, Tiwari SK, Semmler T, Jadhav S, Wieler LH, Alam M, Colwell RR, Ahmed N. Comparative Genomics of Escherichia coli Isolated from Skin and Soft Tissue and Other Extraintestinal Infections. mBio 2017 Aug 15;8(4). (2020 IF: 7.87).
4) Doddam SN, Peddireddy V, Ahmed N. Mycobacterium tuberculosis DosR Regulon Gene Rv2004c Encodes a Novel Antigen with Pro-inflammatory Functions and Potential Diagnostic Application for Detection of Latent Tuberculosis. Front Immunol. 2017 Jun 24;8:7. (2020 IF: 7.56).
5) Peddireddy V, Doddam SN, Ahmed N. Mycobacterial Dormancy Systems and Host Responses in Tuberculosis. Front Immunol. 2017 Feb 15;8:84. (2020 IF: 7.56).
6) Qumar S, Majid M, Kumar N, Tiwari SK, Semmler T, Devi S, Baddam R, Hussain A, Shaik S, Ahmed N. Genome dynamics and molecular infection epidemiology of multi-drug resistant Helicobacter pullorum isolates obtained from broiler and country chickens in India. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2016 Dec 15;83. (2020 IF: 4.79).
7) Devi S, Ansari SA, Tenguria S, Kumar N, Ahmed N. Multipronged regulatory functions of a novel endonuclease (TieA) from Helicobacter pylori. Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Nov 2;44(19):9393-9412 (2020 IF: 16.97).
8) Ranjan A, Shaik S, Mondal A, Nandanwar N, Hussain A, Semmler T, Kumar N, Tiwari S, Jadhav S, Wieler LH, Ahmed N. Molecular epidemiology and genome dynamics of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) producing extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) strains from India. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015 Oct 21;60(11):6795-6805. (2019 IF: 5.19).
9) Ranjan A, Shaik S, Hussain A, Nandanwar N, Semmler T, Jadhav S, Wieler LH, Ahmed N. Genomic and functional portrait of a highly virulent, CTX-M-15-producing H30-Rx subclone of Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015, 59:6087-95. (2019 IF: 5.19).
10) Kumar N, Mariappan V, Baddam R, Lankapalli AK, Shaik S, Goh KL, Loke MF, Perkins T, Benghezal M, Hasnain SE, Vadivelu J, Marshall BJ, Ahmed N. Comparative genomic analysis of Helicobacter pylori from Malaysia identifies three distinct lineages suggestive of differential evolution. Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Jan;43(1):324-35. (2020 IF: 16.97).
11) Baddam R, Kumar N, Shaik S, Lankapalli AK, Ahmed N. Genome dynamics and evolution of Salmonella Typhi strains from the typhoid-endemic zones. Scientific Rep 2014 Dec 12;4:7457. (2020 IF: 4.379).
12) Hussain A, Ranjan A, Nandanwar N, Babbar A, Jadhav S, Ahmed N. Genotypic and phenotypic profiles of Escherichia coli isolates belonging to clinical sequence type 131 (ST131), clinical non-ST131, and fecal non-ST131 lineages from India. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2014, 58:7240-9. (2019 IF: 5.19).
13) Ahmed N, Dobrindt U, Hacker J, Hasnain SE. Genomic fluidity and pathogenic bacteria: applications in diagnostics, epidemiology and intervention. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2008 6:387-94. (2020 IF: 60.633).