I am an environmental bioinformatician developing wastewater-based surveillance and intervention frameworks for public health. My work integrates metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, culture-enabled genomics, and deep learning as equally important investigation approaches to characterize pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across the human–environment interface.

My research program focuses on two linked questions: (1) how AMR and pathogen risks are introduced across borders (e.g., through travel-associated wastewater signals), and (2) how these risks are maintained or amplified locally by ecological and infrastructural factors. Beyond detection, I aim to produce actionable outputs: risk stratification models, early-warning indicators, interpretable attribution signals, and surveillance designs that can be implemented in water systems and public health workflows.

I care about reproducible, scalable analytics and transparent communication. I enjoy interdisciplinary teamwork, mentoring trainees, and collaborating with engineers and public health stakeholders to turn high-dimensional multi-omics data into decisions and interventions.

Research focus

• Environmental bioinformatics for wastewater-based public health decision-making (One Health)
• Quantifying cross-border importation vs local amplification of AMR and pathogens
• Deep learning + genomics for prediction, attribution, and risk prioritization
• Translating surveillance into intervention-ready strategies (monitoring design, decision thresholds, operational guidance)

Education

• Ph.D. in BioEngineering (Bioinformatic and machine learning track), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, 2020-2025

• M.Sc. in Environmental Science and Technology, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, 2018-2020

• B.Sc. in Bioinformatics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, 2014-2018

Work Experience

• Visiting scholar, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States (2017-2018) (Working with Prof. Yue Chen)
• Postdoctoral researcher, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia (2025-now) (Working with Prof. Pei-Ying Hong)

Academic service

• Reviewer Nature Communications (2025-now) BMC Microbiology (2025-now) Scientific Reports (2024-now) Environmental Science and Technology (2023-now) ACS Environmental Science and Technology Water (2023-now) Microbial Ecology (2023-now) Journal of Hazardous Materials (2022-now)

Teaching and Mentorship experiences

• Mentor Bioscience Master Program (KAUST, 2025)
• Lecturer EnSE314-Public Health Microbiology II (KAUST, 2023 Spring, 2025 Fall)
• Research supervisor KAUST WISE internship (KAUST, 2025 Summer)
• Mentor KAUST Gifted student program (KSIP) (KAUST, 2024 Spring)

Grants and Awards

• ES&T Excellence in Review Award American Chemical Society, 2025, United States
• Saudi NIH Research Grant 500,000 SAR Saudi National Institute of Health, May 2025 – May 2026, Saudi Arabia
• Ph.D. Progression Award KAUST, October 2022 – June 2025, Saudi Arabia
• Ph.D. full scholarship KAUST, June 2020 – June 2025, Saudi Arabia
• BESE Dean’s Award BESE, KAUST, December 2022, Saudi Arabia
• Master full scholarship KAUST, August 2018 – June 2020, Saudi Arabia
• Best Poster Award MEWE2021, October 2021, Netherland
• Outstanding Student Award SUSTech, 2018, China