Dr Walid Omara BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA, FIBMS, FRSB, MASM
Senior Lecturer in Microbiology
Teaching
School of Biosciences and Chemistry
College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences
I have a wide range of teaching experience. I have been a module leader for both undergraduate and postgraduate modules (L4 Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Microbiology; L5 Immunology & Microbiology; L7 Fundamentals of Microbiology); and a course leader for postgraduate after leading undergraduate course (MSc/MRew Pharmacology & Biotechnology, and BSc Biology). Working in UK HEIs has given me the opportunity to teach a wide range of subjects such as Medical Microbiology, Clinical Immunology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Virology, Bacteria: Genes to Behaviour, Infectious Diseases and Health, Infection and Immunity, Pathogenicity, Pathogenesis of Infection, Microbial and other causes of diseases, ICT and Study Skills, Biology of Diseases, Laboratory Methods and Analytical Techniques, Neurophysiology PBL group; Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Human Biology.
Scientific and Professional Membership
· Chair of Arab Academics Association in the UK (UKAAA) since June 2024
· Fellow of Royal Society of Biology Apr. 2024
· Member of American Society of Microbiology Feb. 2024
· Member of Black Microbiologists Association Jan. 2024
· Fellow of Higher Education Academy Sep. 2021
· Member of Society for Applied Microbiology April 2020
· Fellow of Institute of Biomedical Sciences since April 2015
· Member of Microbiology Society 2018
· Chair of British Egyptian Academics Association in the UK (BEAA) since July 2019
· Member of Society for General Microbiology since January 2009
· Member of the British Biochemical Society since March 2007
· Member and Co-founder of the Egyptian Society of Biotechnology since October 1995
· Member of the Egyptian Pharmacists Syndicate (Practicing Pharmacist) since August 1992
External Examiner and program verifier
I have been an external examiner for several HE institution such as; MSc Infection Control at the University of Essex; MSc Biomedical Sciences at the University of Northampton; and MSc Medical Microbiology at Leeds Beckette. I have also been a panel member with Leeds Trinity University for verification of IBMS-accredited Biomedical Science program in addition to Medical Bioscience program.
Biosciences and Biomedical Sciences
BSc Biomedical Sciences, MSc/MRes Pharmacology and Biotechnology, MSc/MRes Molecular Microbiology; BSc Biology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Microbiology; Immunology & Microbiology; Fundamentals of Microbiology)Medical Microbiology, Clinical Immunology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Virology, Bacteria: Genes to Behaviour, Infectious Diseases and Health, Infection and Immunity, Pathogenicity, Pathogenesis of Infection, Microbial and other causes of diseases, ICT and Study Skills, Biology of Diseases, Laboratory Methods and Analytical Techniques, Neurophysiology PBL group; Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Human Biology
Research
Over the years, my research has focused on multidisciplinary areas in microbiology. My recent research has covered several areas of Microbiology, involving cutting-edge techniques such as Genomics, Transcriptomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics. One area of research focuses on Applied Environmental Microbiology to investigates the use of eco-friendly yeast for metal nanoparticles biosynthesis and bioremediation. Second area of the research in Medical Microbiology about the microbial communication and the impact of such direct or indirect coexistance on human health. Collaborating with clinicians, we were able to investigate the infection control and quality assurance for NICU, including the diagnosis and management of microbial infections in neonates. Additionally, I collaborate with geneticists to use yeast as a homologous system to investigate human genetic diseases. Lastly, we explore the area of Biotechnology and Industrial Microbiology, to use of yeast as an oral delivery system for vaccines and other biological products, as well as using Streptomyces coelicolor for bioremediation and Antibiotic production by investigating metabolic pathways.
-Biosynthesis, evaluation, characterisation and genetic investigation of Metal nanoparticle by yeast
-Biosynthesis, Evaluation and Genetic investigation of Biosurfactants production in yeast
-Microbial communication and human healthcare: Investigation of microbial pathogenesis in polymicrobial communities
-Using yeast as an oral delivery system of vaccines and other biological products.
Publications
Journal articles
El-Baky, R.M.A., Senosy, E.M., Omara, W., Mohamed, D.S., & Ibrahim, R.A. (2020). The Impact of the Implementation of Culture-based Antibiotic Policy on the Incidence of Nosocomial Infections in Neonates Hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a General Egyptian Hospital in Upper Egypt, 2016-2018. Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology, 14 (3), 1879-1892. http://doi.org/10.22207/jpam.14.3.27
Parker, S., Fraczek, M.G., Wu, J., Shamsah, S., Manousaki, A., Dungrattanalert, K., ... O’Keefe, R.T. (2018). Large-scale profiling of noncoding RNA function in yeast. PLOS Genetics, 14 (3). http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1007253
Parker, S., Fraczek, M.G., Wu, J., Shamsah, S., Manousaki, A., Dungrattanalert, K., ... O'Keefe, R.T. (2017). A resource for functional profiling of noncoding RNA in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RNA, 23 (8), 1166-1171. http://doi.org/10.1261/rna.061564.117
Mohamed, S.K., Albayati, M., Omara, W.A.M., Abdelhamid, A.A., Potgeiter, H., Hameed, A.S., & Al-Janabi, K.M. (2012). Functionalization of ibuprofen core structure compound: Part 1 Synthesis of potential chemotherapeutic agents incorporated ibuprofen substructure and their in vitro antimicrobial study. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 4 (7), 3505-3517.
Wentzel, A., Bruheim, P., Øverby, A., Jakobsen, Ø.M., Sletta, H., Omara, W.A.M., ... Ellingsen, T.E. (2012). Optimized submerged batch fermentation strategy for systems scale studies of metabolic switching in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). BMC systems biology, 6, 59. http://doi.org/10.1186/1752-0509-6-59
Omara, W.A.M., Rash, B.M., Hayes, A., Wickham, M.S.J., Oliver, S.G., & Stateva, L.I. (2010). Conditional cell-wall mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as delivery vehicles for therapeutic agents in vivo to the GI tract. Journal of biotechnology, 147 (2), 136-143. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.03.010
Nieselt, K., Battke, F., Herbig, A., Bruheim, P., Wentzel, A., Jakobsen, Ø.M., ... Wellington, E.M.H. (2010). The dynamic architecture of the metabolic switch in Streptomyces coelicolor. BMC genomics, 11, 10. http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-11-10