Biography
I am Abiye Tigabu Molla, a current PhD candidate at the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, UNSW. I earned my BSc degree in Medical Laboratory Technology in 2015 and my MSc degree in Medical Microbiology in 2018. Previously, I served as a Lecturer and Assistant Professor at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, where I taught Medical Microbiology courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students. In addition to teaching, I supervised and mentored both master’s and undergradua...
Biography
I am Abiye Tigabu Molla, a current PhD candidate at the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, UNSW. I earned my BSc degree in Medical Laboratory Technology in 2015 and my MSc degree in Medical Microbiology in 2018. Previously, I served as a Lecturer and Assistant Professor at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, where I taught Medical Microbiology courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students. In addition to teaching, I supervised and mentored both master’s and undergraduate students in their research projects. My academic contributions also included developing research ideas, collecting and analyzing data, and drafting and reviewing manuscripts. To date, I have published 23 research articles in reputable, peer-reviewed international journals, contributing as a first author, corresponding author, and co-author. Currently, my research focuses on the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of microbial virulence and antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates recovered from bacterial keratitis.
Research title: Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of microbial virulence and antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates recovered from bacterial keratitis
Supervisors: Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton and Professor Mark Willcox
Research abstract
P. aeruginosa is a significant contributor to infections affecting the ocular surface. This bacterium exhibits resistance to a wide range of antibiotics and can develop additional resistance mechanisms through genetic mutations and horizontal gene transfer. Furthermore, it employs diverse virulence mechanisms to adhere to ocular cells, invade host tissues, and eventually lead to complications such as corneal scarring and perforation. A recent outbreak in the United States involving an extensively drug-resistant strain of P. aeruginosa resulted in severe outcomes, including four fatalities, the removal of four eyes, and vision loss in 14 other patients. Understanding the antimicrobial resistance profiles and virulence traits of P. aeruginosa strains associated with corneal infections is therefore crucial to address the rising incidence of multidrug-resistant ocular P. aeruginosa infections.
Education
BSc in Medical Laboratory Technology (University of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2015)
MSc in Medical Microbiology (University of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2018)
PhD in Optometry (SOVS, UNSW, Sydney, Australia, 2024–present)
Conference attendance
Antimicrobial Resistance Symposium 2024. Hosted by the Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), held on 21 November 2024.
Structural Aspects of AMPs and Antimicrobials. Organized by the MDPI Antibiotics journal, scheduled for 3 December 2024.
Awards
University International Postgraduate Award, UNSW Sydney 2024.
Best Presentation Award at the Antimicrobial Resistance Symposium 2024.
Affiliations and memberships
American Society for Microbiology
School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, UNSW, Syndey, Ethiopia
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Ethiopia
Research Interests
Molecular Microbiology, Microbial pathogenesis, Immunology, Bioinformatics
Researcher Profiles:
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4160-1094
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57208693953
