Samira Asgari

Human Genomics Of Infectious Diseases

Harvard Medical School

I got my PhD from EPFL, Switzerland (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), in April 2016 and then was working as a postdoctoral fellow at EPFL until the end of December 2016. My research investigates the role of human genetic variation in susceptibility to infections and progression of infectious diseases. During my stay in Switzerland I used state-of-the art genomics methods with the goal of helping children who suffered from unusual susceptibility to common infections. Inline with my doctoral training, I was supposed to join Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Broad Institute to use study the role of human genomic variation in progression from latent to active tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a global health problem. This research will further our collective understanding of basic biology and translational medicine, and it will lead to the development of safer and more effective drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis.