Title: Research Associate
Company: University of South Florida
Location: Tampa, Florida, United States
Ahmad Rushdi Shakri, PhD, Research Associate at the University of South Florida, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists series for his contributions, achievements, dedication, and leadership in the area of vaccines and translational research.
With over 20 years of experience to his credit, Dr. Shakri has excelled as a scientist in vaccine research and development. He has been affiliated with some of the leading research universities and institutions globally, such as the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in India, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in the United States, and the University of South Florida (USF), USA. At the University of South Florida, where he has been a research associate since 2023, the focus of his work is to identify and develop novel vaccine candidates for malaria, which is a leading cause of disease and death in children globally. He has previously worked as a postdoctoral research scholar at USF from 2020 to 2023.
Before embarking on his professional path, Dr. Shakri pursued his undergraduate education in Australia, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in medical and applied biotechnology. He began his research career at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology’s New Delhi Component in India, joining as a research assistant in 2001, where he also pursued his doctoral research work, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in biosciences and malaria vaccines in 2012. He then worked at ICGEB from 2013 to 2018, where he contributed to the translational development of two malaria vaccine candidates, one for Plasmodium falciparum and the other for P. vivax malaria, leading up to their clinical evaluations in phase I clinical trials. One of the vaccines has moved on to advanced stages of clinical testing. He later joined as a research scientist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY, from 2018 to 2020.
Dr. Shakri attributes his success to his parents, the distinguished scientists with whom he has been working, and the supportive research environment he is in. In the future, he aims to continue his research on vaccines for infectious diseases, identifying novel candidates and optimizing their efficacy using different delivery platforms. Dr Shakri is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also devoted to educating and training younger researchers in the group with his gained experience and the new vaccine technologies developed in the laboratory. Dr Shakri’s other interests include space and astronomy, and new developments in technology and green energy.
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