Member Q&A Touseef Hussain
This is a regular column to introduce our members. In this issue, we’re pleased to introduce Touseef Hussain.
Where are you currently based and what is your role? I am an Early Career Microbiologist (ECM) from India and completed my PhD at Uttarakhand Technical University, India. What area of microbiology do you specialise in? Molecular environmental microbiology; antimicrobial resistance (AMR); molecular diagnostics and biosynthesis of new microbial metabolites. Tell us about your career journey to date, particularly why you decided to work in industry. I obtained my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in General Biology/Biotechnology from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, India. Afterward, in 2009, I joined the ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute Campus in Modipuram, India, as a Senior Research Fellow. My main research project focused on molecular detection and quantification of late blight of potatoes caused by Phytophthora infestans from seed tubers and infested soil, which was also a part of my PhD thesis. I developed a new molecular marker for the early detection of Indian isolates of P. infestans . Coming from a poor family was not easy for me. I did not receive proper guidance as my family's earnings were not sufficient, but my parents' main focus was to provide me with a good education. During job interviews, people often say that I did not receive a good education from reputed colleges or universities. They often question why a minority like me would study for so long, but my passion to keep trying is the reason I never give up. I was awarded my first independent research project as the Principal Investigator at the Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University in India, from 2017 to 2019, by the Science and Engineering Research Board in India. During my research, I isolated a newly improved biosurfactant-based biocontrol agent that can manage soil-borne pathogens of potato tubers. However, I have often been rejected from academic interviews due to a lack of teaching experience. Nonetheless, the key skills that I learned and gained during my PhD program have always helped me, and I am now moving to a start-up company in Gujarat, India. When and why did you first become interested in microbiology? I am fascinated by nature, especially when the monsoon season rain drops fall on the soil; that amazing smell!
As an Early Career Microbiologist (ECM), what are some of the professional challenges you face and how do you overcome these? Right now, I am exploring my career options in academia, industry and agroclinic laboratory settings. I think my educational background and willingness to conduct teaching, research and lab work will help me to make a decision. It is very difficult for a Muslim minority to receive a good education in the current system in India.
You recently joined our Champions Scheme, what were your motivations for doing so?
I want to motivate young minds towards microbiology and to be part of future research activities happening around the world. Do you have any role models, if so, who? My family and all my teachers, supervisors and mentors that helped and supported me during my academic journey. What has been the highlight of your career so far? Learning the tools and techniques and interacting with people of multidisciplinary subjects. What do you hope to achieve in your career in the future? The world of life sciences is changing incredibly fast and it is sometimes challenging for an ECM to keep up with the science and technology. I hope to create balance, meaning and vitality between my work and personal life, collaborating in diverse subjects, in the future.
If you would like to be featured in this section or know someone who may, please get in touch via getinvolved@microbiologysociety.org.
Touseef Hussain Chief Scientist Sevama Agri Clinic and Laboratory at Bhavnagar Gujarat, India
hussaintouseef@yahoo.co.in @Hussaint789
10 Microbiology Today May 2023 | microbiologysociety.org
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