Dr Mahboobeh (Mabi) Behruznia is a Research Fellow in the McNally Group at the University of Birmingham, where she investigates real-time genomic-informed diagnosis of pathogens and personalised antimicrobial approaches to infections in acute care settings using metagenomic analysis. She completed her PhD in 2021 at the Australian National University, focusing on the genetic structure of Escherichia coli strains from septic tanks in Australia. Following her doctoral studies, Dr Behruznia worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Canberra, investigating the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in meat samples in Australia. She later joined Nottingham Trent University, where her research delved into Mycobacterium tuberculosis pangenome and evolution. Dr Behruznia holds a Master’s in Microbiology from Shahid Beheshti University and a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology from Shahed University, Iran. Before her academic career, she also gained industry experience working as a Quality Assurance Specialist.

• Applying metagenomic approaches for real-time clinical diagnostics of microbial pathogens, including the detection of antimicrobial resistance profiles, to enhance pathogen surveillance and improve patient outcomes (Metagenomics and sequencing).
• Exploring bacterial diversity and evolution through pangenomic analyses and advanced bioinformatics, aiming to uncover genetic variations and evolutionary patterns within microbial species (Genomics and bioinformatics).
• Investigating antimicrobial resistance in bacteria and its impact on human health and environmental sustainability (Antimicrobial Resistance and genome sequencing)