Tell us a bit about yourself…
Hello Cyber Team, My name is Muhammad Yasir Akbar and I recently joined the CYBER team as Research Assistant at Newcastle University under the supervision of Dr. Natalio Krasnogor. My background is in Bioinformatics and have professional experience in microbial genome analysis, barcoding, metabolic modeling and applications in synthetic biology. I have worked on various project ranging from drug design to machine learning models for microbial genomics. I am thrilled to bring my expertise into the CYBER project.
How did you end up working on the CYBER project?
My interest in the cyber project is because of its unique focus on environmental restoration and using of cyanobacteria for this purpose. The project not only aim is environmental restoration but also focus on biosecurity concerns. The need of growing safe and responsible genetic engineering. I was very excited to contribute to developed safe genomic barcoding and related technologies.
What are you most excited about in your role?
I am particularly excited to work on the biosecurity aspect, designing barcoding systems and genome safe harbors for integration that ensure traceability and safety. The most excitement is the chance to collaborate with such diverse and talented team and contributing in developing tools. Looking forward to learning from my colleagues too.
What do you think is going to be the toughest challenge for CYBER?
I think the toughest challenge for CYBER project will be to develop method that depict the real world performance of the cyanobacteria in wind tunnels. Another challenge is balancing innovation with biosecurity and developing of effective tools, which can be time intensive.
Where do you see yourself heading to in the future?
I hope to continue working in the intersection of bioinformatics, synthetic biology for engineering microbes for environmental restoration. My goal is to develop powerful and effective tools for this purpose. I am always open to learning new techniques and skills.
