FACULTY

Dr. Asif Hameed

Assistant Professor
  • asifhameed@yenepoya.edu.in

Profile

I was born (23rd April 1984) in Karkala, Udupi district, Karnataka, India. Obtained my BSc (Botany, Zoology and Chemistry, 2001‒2004) and MSc (Applied Zoology, 2004‒2006) degrees from Mangalore University, India. Cleared State-Level Eligibility Test for Lectureship (SLET 2006) and started working as a Chemistry Teacher at KMES educational society (Karkala, 2006). Later served as a guest faculty for MSc Biosciences (Division: Biotechnology, 2006-2008), Mangalore University, Konaje. Received Taiwan Government Fellowship (2008) for pursuing PhD in Taiwan and joined Prof. Chiu-Chung Young’s lab for Doctoral (2008-2012) and Post-Doctoral studies (2012-2021). I am currently working as an Assistant Professor at Yenepoya Research Centre.

PostDoc/Experience

  • Post-Doctoral Fellow (2018–2021) – National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
  • Project Researcher (2017–2018) – National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
  • Post-Doctoral Fellow (2012-2017) – National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
  • Guest Faculty (2006‒2008)- MSc Biotechnology, Mangalore University, India
  • Chemistry Teacher (2006) – KMES Educational Society, Karkala, India

Awards/Honors

  • Highest monetary award for publication (2011) – National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
  • Fellowship for PhD in Taiwan (2008) – Taiwan Government
  • SLET (2006) – UGC, India

 

Research

 

Research Area

Environmental and molecular microbiology, Microbial (bacterial and fungal) systematics, Comparative genomics and genetic engineering, Recombinant protein production and Bioactive volatiles

Research

Biology, ecology and bio-prospecting of carotenoid-producing bacterial strains were the major focuses during my doctoral research. Several new bacterial strains producing carotenoids (astaxanthin and zeaxanthin) were isolated and characterized from diverse environmental resources during the course of my study. I have studied in detail Siansivirga zeaxanthinifaciens CC-SAMT-1, a zeaxanthin-producing marine isolate by using a combined genomic (NGS) and transcriptomic (RNAseq) approach. I am currently involved in molecular systematics, genome sequencing, and comparative genomics of several novel bacterial species/strains affiliated to the bacterial genera Aeromicrobium, Allorhizobium, Altererythrobacter, Azoarcus, Burkholderia, Cerasibacillus, Cohnella, Devosia, Flavobacterium, Gemmobacter, Hanstruepera, Idiomarina, Kalamiella, Lactobacillus, Luteibaculum, Mesorhizobium, Nantoubacter, Oricola, Pseudogemmobacter, Pseudomonas, Pusillimonas, Robertkochia, Youngimonas and Zeimonas.

I have also been involved in the community genomics (16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) of the prokaryotes inhabiting litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) orchards and a long-term maize-rice rotation field. My additional research activities include the exploration of prokaryotic and eukaryotic molecular sensors/receptors responding to bioactive plant-based volatiles for therapeutic applications; genomic and metagenomic screening of antibiotic production and multidrug resistance in bacterial strains of clinical and environmental relevance; application of comparative genomic data in the genetic engineering and recombinant protein production.

Publications                                                                                                                                               Full list:

  1. Hameed, A. -A. Lai, M. Shahina, P. Stothard, L.-S. Young, S.-Y. Lin, K. R. Sridhar, and C.-C. Young. 2020. Differential visible spectral influence on carbon metabolism in heterotrophic marine flavobacteria. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 96:fiaa011 (https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaa011). IF: 4.194
  2. Neelakandan P., C. -C. Young, A. Hameed, Y. -N. Wang, K. -N. Chen, F. -T. Shen. 2021. Volatile 1-octanol of tea (Camellia sinensis) fuels cell division and indole-3-acetic acid production in phylloplane isolate Pseudomonas sp. NEEL19. Sci. Rep. 2;11:2788. IF: 4.379
  3. Hameed, A. M. Shahina, W.-A. Lai, P. Stothard, L.-S. Young, S.-Y. Lin, and C.-C. Young. 2020. Draft genome sequence reveals co-occurrence of multiple antimicrobial resistance and plant probiotic traits in rice root endophytic strain Burkholderia sp. LS-044 affiliated to Burkholderia cepacia complex. J. Glob. Antimicrob. Resist. 20:28‒31. IF: 4.035
  4. Hameed, A., M. Shahina, L.-S. Young, W.-A. Lai, K. R. Sridhar, and C.-C. Young. 2019. Bacteriostatic stimulus of meropenem on allelochemical-metabolizing Burkholderia sp. LS-044 mitigates ferulic acid autotoxicity in rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Tainung 71). Plant Soil 443:73‒86. IF: 4.192
  5. Hameed, A., H.-P. Pi, S.-Y. Lin, W.-A. Lai, L.-S. Young, Y.-C. Liu, F.-T. Shen, and C.-C. Young. 2015. Direct electrochemical sensing of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid secreted by Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens BCRC 11057T using disposable screen-printed carbon electrode. Electroanalysis 28:846–853. IF: 3.223