Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Postdoctoral research associate developing diagnostics for high consequence tropical diseases including Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever and Tuberculosis.
My research experience and interests includes zoonotic disease, infectious disease biology, comparative immunology, host-pathogen interactions, 'Omics and MHC class I mediated antigen presentation.
Biography
Cardiff University (2011 - 2015) - BSc Biochemistry (Biomedical route) with Industrial Placement (GSK, 2013 - 2014)
University of Southampton (2015 - 2019) - Doctor of Philosophy, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.. Thesis title: Investigating cellular origins to identify peptide vaccine targets in two independent transmissible tumours circulating in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).
University of Southampton (2019 - 2021) - Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cancer Immunology, Biological sciences. Morris Animal Foundation Fellowship: Definition of MHC I peptide binding interactions in Tasmanian devils, and of the cellular origins of their cancers. Additional work developing an in vitro system to assess intercellular competition between cancer cells.
University of Southampton (2021) - Postdoctoral Research Associate in Microbiology, Biological sciences. Assessing the ability of SARS-CoV-2 and other important human pathogens to survive on materials and surfaces containing copper to aid in implementing infection control measures.
University of Edinburgh (2022 - 2024) - Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Biology and Immunology, The Roslin Institute. Using novel sequencing techniques to map distal regulatory elements across the bovine genome and identify how functional variation in these regions impacts susceptibility to parasitic disease
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (2024 - Present) - Postdoctoral Research Associate in Tropical Disease Biology and Diagnostics. Using amplicon tiling and nanopore sequencing to validate the performance of rapid diagnostic tests for CCHF in a diagnostic evaluation across Turkey. Additional work using proteomics and miRNA sequencing to identify urinary biomarkers for TB infection in high-risk patient groups.
University of Southampton (2015 - 2019) - Doctor of Philosophy, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.. Thesis title: Investigating cellular origins to identify peptide vaccine targets in two independent transmissible tumours circulating in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).
University of Southampton (2019 - 2021) - Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Cancer Immunology, Biological sciences. Morris Animal Foundation Fellowship: Definition of MHC I peptide binding interactions in Tasmanian devils, and of the cellular origins of their cancers. Additional work developing an in vitro system to assess intercellular competition between cancer cells.
University of Southampton (2021) - Postdoctoral Research Associate in Microbiology, Biological sciences. Assessing the ability of SARS-CoV-2 and other important human pathogens to survive on materials and surfaces containing copper to aid in implementing infection control measures.
University of Edinburgh (2022 - 2024) - Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Biology and Immunology, The Roslin Institute. Using novel sequencing techniques to map distal regulatory elements across the bovine genome and identify how functional variation in these regions impacts susceptibility to parasitic disease
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (2024 - Present) - Postdoctoral Research Associate in Tropical Disease Biology and Diagnostics. Using amplicon tiling and nanopore sequencing to validate the performance of rapid diagnostic tests for CCHF in a diagnostic evaluation across Turkey. Additional work using proteomics and miRNA sequencing to identify urinary biomarkers for TB infection in high-risk patient groups.
Teaching
Lecturer on molecular research methods and viral haemorrhagic fevers
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Investigating cellular origins to identify peptide vaccine targets in two independent transmissible tumours circulating in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)., University of Southampton
10 Oct 2015 → 13 Sept 2019
Award Date: 13 Sept 2019
Bachelor, Biochemistry (Biomedical Route)
20 Sept 2011 → 13 Jul 2015
Award Date: 13 Jul 2015
Themes
- Innovation to Impact: Therapeutics, Diagnostics, Vaccines
- Tuberculosis and Antimicrobial Resistance
- Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Diagnostic accuracy and inter-lot precision of the FujiLAM II point-of-care assay to detect tuberculosis in stored urine specimens from people living with HIV
Biatu, N., Mbuli, C., Vuchas, C., Nsamenang, R., Chifu, N. B., Etiendem, A., Tcheumeni, D. K., Neh, A., Ndze Mbuh, N., Kontogianni, N., Owen, R., Norah Nyah, N., Quang Vo, L. N., Codlin, A., Creswell, J., Sander, M. & Cubas Atienzar, A. I., 30 Jun 2026, In: Microbiology spectrum. 14, 8, p. e0062026 00620-26.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus) -
A comprehensive water buffalo pangenome reveals extensive structural variation linked to population-specific signatures of selection
Arshad, F., Jayaraman, S., Talenti, A., Owen, R., Mohsin, M., Mansoor, S., Asif, M. & Prendergast, J., 30 Aug 2025, In: GigaScience. 14, giaf099.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus) -
Comparison of the analytical and clinical sensitivities of 34 rapid antigen tests with prevalent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
Byrne, R., Owen, R. S., Aljayyoussi, G., Greenland-Bews, C., Konstantina, K., Somasundaran, A., Wooding, D., Williams, C. T., LSTM Diagnostics Group, Falcon Steering Group, de Vos, M., Body, R., Adams, E., Escadafal, C., Edwards, T. & Cubas Atienzar, A., 7 Oct 2025, In: Microbiology spectrum. 13, 10, e0074925.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
In vitro competition between two transmissible cancers and potential implications for their host, the Tasmanian devil
Gérard, A. L., Owen, R. S., Dujon, A. M., Roche, B., Hamede, R., Thomas, F., Ujvari, B. & Siddle, H. V., 10 Mar 2024, In: Evolutionary Applications. 17, 3, e13670.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access5 Citations (Scopus) -
The differentiation state of the Schwann cell progenitor drives phenotypic variation between two contagious cancers
Owen, R. S., Ramarathinam, S. H., Bailey, A., Gastaldello, A., Hussey, K., Skipp, P. J., Purcell, A. W. & Siddle, H. V., 15 Nov 2021, In: PLoS Pathogens. 17, 11, e1010033.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access9 Citations (Scopus)