Mohammad Uzzal Hossain, a young Bangladeshi scientist, is heading to the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom to pursue a PhD (D.Phil). His research will focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to study pathogen genomics, bacterial evolution and antimicrobial resistance.
The research is part of a large international project involving researchers collaborating across three continents.
Uzzal currently serves as Head of the Bioinformatics Department at the National Institute of Biotechnology (NIB) under the Ministry of Science and Technology. He is a former student of the Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University (MBSTU).
He also received PhD admission offers from the University of Cambridge and an Ivy League university in the United States. However, he chose Oxford after considering the research topic and his future plans.
Before starting his PhD, Hossain also received an opportunity to conduct research at the laboratory of Nobel laureate scientist Professor Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019.
Although he had the opportunity to work in Ratcliffe’s laboratory, Hossain prioritised his interest in applying AI and machine learning to biology.
Hossain previously earned his Master’s degree from the University of Oxford in 2022, completing his thesis research at the university’s Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics.
He has also been actively working to develop bioinformatics research in Bangladesh. In 2020, he published a book titled “Gobeshonay Bioinformatics” (Bioinformatics in Research).
After completing his PhD, Hossain aims to return to Bangladesh to build a national-level genomic data infrastructure and establish the policy-level implementation of AI-based bioinformatics.
