About
Mohamed K. Fakhr, Ph.D, is a professor of molecular microbiology at The University of Tulsa. He has a Ph.D. degree in microbiology, cell, and molecular biology from Oklahoma State University. Research in his laboratory focuses mainly on the molecular microbiology of foodborne bacterial pathogens with emphasis on how these pathogens survive in the food environment. This includes but not limited to molecular typing and detection, exploring mechanisms by which these microbes develop antibiotic and heavy metals resistance, characterizing survival mechanisms under stressful/extremophilic conditions, and polymicrobial interactions.
He also uses genomic and transcriptomic approaches to characterize genes responsible for the survival of the microaerophilic foodborne bacterial pathogen Campylobacter under cold stress and aerobic conditions. A particular interest in his lab is exploring the role of large plasmids in the survival and persistence of Campylobacter and Staphylococcus aureus on retail meats using next generation sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, and mutagenesis of these plasmids. Another focus of Fakhr’s lab is studying the diversity of actinomycetes in extreme environments (Hypersaline and high temperatures) and characterizing their secondary metabolites for antimicrobial and antitumor activities. He also uses a combination of next generation genomic sequencing and PFGE to characterize their large plasmids.
Education
- Ph.D., Oklahoma State University
- M.Sc., Zagazig University, Benha Branch
- B.Sc., Zagazig University, Benha Branch
Research interests and areas of expertise
- Molecular microbiology of foodborne bacterial pathogens
- Molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial and heavy metals resistance
- Molecular characterization of bacterial plasmids
- Bacterial genomics and transcriptomics
- Secondary metabolites and diversity of actinomycetes