Dr Omar Bin Khalilur Rahman

Research Fellow
Environmental Engineering cluster, SCELSE

Email: omar.kr@ntu.edu.sg

Dr Omar Khalilur Rahman has joined SCELSE as a research fellow under the supervision A/Prof Janelle Thompson in the Environmental Engineering cluster. In SCELSE, his role involves developing and bolstering methods for pathogen surveillance in environmental samples (e.g., wastewater). This includes describing spatial and temporal patterns in pathogen prevalence in communities, with one of his goals being to develop a practical, and affordable framework to enable environmental surveillance on large scales. Prior to joining SCELSE, he was a research assistant in University of Malaya Medical Centre leading a team in their SARS-CoV-2 surveillance effort. Dr Omar’s previous role involved sequencing infectious swabs from selected patients (e.g., particular age groups, recurring infections), identifying their mutations, and documenting emerging variants. He considers himself an ecologist, working towards better understanding interspecies interactions within a changing environment. He is particularly drawn to host-parasite interactions and their implication in species co-evolution. Dr Omar is an advocate for the One Health approach to tackle emerging diseases (e.g., considering the interconnectivity of human, wildlife, and environmental health).