Research team
We are a binational research team leveraging the expertise of US and Pakistani life and socials scientists to reduce antibiotic use by Pakistani poultry producers and increase availability of and access to effective, affordable, and practical antibiotic alternatives. The researchers involved are from Purdue University (Indiana, US), the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS; Lahore, Pakistan), and the University of the Punjab (Lahore, Pakistan). This work is being conducted with the financial support from UK Government – Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) and the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada.
Lead Researchers
Dr. Paul Ebner
Animal Sciences at Purdue University
Professor
Dr. Ebner is a Professor of Animal Sciences at Purdue University. He has operated his own phage therapy research laboratory for over ten years. Dr. Ebner’s group has developed different phage treatments to prevent transmission of foodborne pathogens in animals and different foods. Dr. Ebner’s group has also examined the impact of phage treatments on host immunity and the gut microbiome and the impact of phage resistance on treatment efficacy.
Dr. Shafiq Ur Rehman (Pakistan)
University of the Punjab
Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Dr. Shafiq ur Rehman is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of the Punjab and received his PhD from University of Nottingham in 2012. His group in Pakistan started working with bacteriophages for bacteriophage therapy in 2012 and has characterized bacteriophages lytic against different pathogenic microorganisms and assessed their efficacy against infection in animal models.
Dr. Zafar Hayat (Pakistan)
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) in Lahore, Pakistan
Professor of Animal Sciences
Dr. Zafar Hayat is a Professor of Animal Sciences at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) in Lahore, Pakistan. He received his PhD from UVAS with research conducted at the Department of Animal Science, Oregon State University, USA. His research interests include the exploration of safe, economical, and environmentally friendly alternatives to antibiotics for poultry production. Previous studies of Dr. Hayat’s group demonstrated that: 1) different fruit waste materials have several bioactive compounds; and 2) fruit wastes, especially from mango processing, contain significant antimicrobial potential.
Dr. Nicole Olynk Widmar (US)
Agricultural Economics at Purdue University
Professor
Dr. Widmar is a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. Fundamentally Dr. Widmar’s research, teaching, and outreach programs focus on the intersection of producer incentives for within firm decision making with consumer’s product demands. Dr. Widmar has extensive experience in production economics and evaluating the profitability of alternative production processes and technologies at the individual business level. Throughout her career, Dr. Widmar has led studies in both producer and consumer perceptions of new and emerging technologies.
Dr. Gulbeena Saleem (Pakistan)
Department of Pathology at UVAS
Associate Professor
Dr. Gulbeena Saleem is an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at UVAS. She completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow in 2013 on “Necrotic enteritis, disease induction, predisposing factors and novel biochemical markers in broiler chicken״. Currently, Dr. Saleem’s research is focused on the use of fruit extracts to control zoonotic pathogens, particularly Salmonella, Clostridia, and Campylobacter.
Dr. Athar Mahmud (Pakistan)
Department of Poultry Production, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan
Professor and Chair of the Department of Poultry Production
Dr. Athar Mahmud is Professor and Chair of the Department of Poultry Production at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) in Lahore, Pakistan. He holds Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), M.Sc. (Hons.) in Poultry Production (CVS), and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Nutrition and has worked in the area of poultry production for the last 28 years.
Dr. Afshan Shafi (US/Paksitan)
MNS-University of Agriculture Multan, Pakistan
Lecturer
Dr. Afshan Shafi is currently a lecturer at MNS-University of Agriculture Multan, Pakistan. Her research focuses on the the management of pathogenic bacteria through the use of beneficial microorganisms (e.g., probiotics, synbiotics). She also has experience in the extraction and utilization of phytochemicals as alternatives of antibiotics against pathogens. Dr. Shafi will begin in the project in August 2019.
Iqbal Alvi (Pakistan)
Department of Microbiology, Hazara University in Mansehra, Pakistan
Lecturer
Iqbal Ahmad Alvi is a Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology at Hazara University in Mansehra, Pakistan. His research focuses on human and animal health with an emphasis on using bacteriophage therapy against multiple drug resistant bacteria. He has expertise in characterization of clinical bacterial isolates, phages (including genomics), and use of phages in animal infection models.