Sepideh Pakpour PhD
Assistant Professor, Director of the Biomedical Microbiome Research (BMR) Laboratory
School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
Background:
Dr. Pakpour completed her PhD in Biology at the University of British Columbia with a focus on indoor microbiome and its impact on human health before pursuing a postdoctoral appointment at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where shoe focused on human microbiome. Pakpour started her position in 2018 as an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering, at the UBC Okanagan campus. Her fundamental research interests and contributions fall into two categories: (a) the human microbiome and (b) better comprehending forces and factors that influence the microbiome of built environments (MoBE). Within these categories, her research has continuously focused on translating basic microbiome discoveries into applications ranging from bioengineering and biomaterials, as well as medical applications. She is currently the co-lead of the UBC – Cluster of Research Excellence in Comfort-Enhancing Technologies, co-lead of the MMRI - Biomedical and Biological Materials and Manufacturing pillar, and the microbiome research lead in the Nurse Engagement and Wellness Study (NEWS) as part of the Hoffman Program on Chemicals at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Research Interests:
- Human Virome in Health and Disease
- Non-invasive Microbiome Based Diagnostics and Therapies
- Healthy Built Environment
- Personalized medicine