Arshnee Moodley

Short presentation

In 2005 I received my M.Sc (Med) in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2008, I got my PhD at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark in the subject area of antibiotic resistance and zoonosis. Between 2009-2011, I was a Post-Doctoral fellow at IVS working on an EU-funded project called PILGRIM. The aim of PILGRIM was to development strategies to control nosocomial and community spread of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398. My role within this project was to study the comparative host-range, colonization and selection of MRSA ST398 and other MRSA clonal lineages using animal models and in vitro adhesion assays.

In 2012, I was employed as an Assistant Professor at IVS and obtained my own project funding from the Danish Council for Independent Research: Technology and Production Sciences (FTP) to investigate the potential use of bacteriophages and phage lysins as alternatives to antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. In addition to this, in 2012, I was awarded the Sapere Aude Young Elite Researcher along with research money to study the host-pathogen interactions of S. pseudintermedius using live imaging microscopy tools. Complementary to these projects, I am using next generationwhole genome sequencing to shed light on the evolution, host adaptation and successful spread of methicillin resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP). I am the co-supervisor for four PhD students investigating colonization dynamics and pathogenesis of S. pseudintermedius, development of a bacteriophage cocktail to treat canine skin infections caused by MRSP, and the effects of therapeutic antibiotics on global gene expression in antibiotic resistant bacteria. Finally, I am assisting with co-ordination of a Marie Curie Initial Training Network called TRAIN-ASAP (http://www.train-asap.eu/).

CV

EDUCATION

B.Sc           University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa           2002

B.Sc (Hons) University of the Witwatersrand                             2003

M.Sc (Med)  University of the Witwatersrand                             2005

PhD            University of Copenhagen, Denmark                      2008

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS    
-Health Professional Council of South Africa: Medical Scientist, since 2005
-American Society for Microbiology, since 2006
-Seqnet.org: European Network of Laboratories for sequence-based typing of microbial pathogens, since 2009

FUNDING AND SCIENTIFIC AWARDS
-Sapere Aude for young elite researchers, awarded by the Danish Council for Independent Research, 2012
-The Danish Council for Independent Research, Technology and Production Sciences (FTP): Post Doctoral Research Project (2012-2014): Phage induction and phage lysins: alternative treatments for multi-resistant bacterial infections
-Bernhard Bangs Minefond, 2012: Full genome sequencing of Mycobacterium subspecies paratuberculosis
-Danish Pasteur Society, 2010: Travel grant to attend the ASM General meeting, New Orleans, USA, 21-24 May 2011
-Fund for Scientific studies in small animals, 2009: Whole genome sequencing of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcos pseudintermedius
-ASM Travel Grant (47th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Chicago, USA, 17-20 September 2007)
-Marie Curie PhD Fellowship for Early Stage Research Training- 2005-2008
-South African National Research Foundation Doctoral Scholarship for studies aboard-2006
-Medical Research Council Masters Scholarship-2004
-Andrew W Mellon Postgraduate Mentoring Scholarship-2004
-University of the Witwatersrand Postgraduate Merit Award- 2003 and 2004
-National Health Laboratory Service’s Bursary- 2003

SUPERVISION AND TEACHING
-Co-supervisor of five PhD students: Carmen Espinosa Gongora (2009-2012), Narayan Chandra Paul (2010-2013), Francesca Latronico (2011-2013), Rikke P Brochmann (2012-2015), and Muriel Breteau (2012-2015),
-Supervision of a visiting PhD student: Dorota Chrobak (Poland, Jun 2010 - Feb 2011) and Nastasha Couto  (Portugal, October- December 2009)
-Organization, lecturing and laboratory practicals: PhD Infection Microbiology course, Module B-Antimicrobial resistance and Bacterial typing, Biomedicine course for final year Veterinary Differentiation students,

OTHER SCIENTIFIC QUALIFICATIONS
-Certified in Laboratory Animal Science category C level according to the European Council convention
-Completed “Higher Education Teaching and Teaching Practice” (adjunktpædagogikum) in 2011