Excellence by Choice postdoc in Kemal Avican lab. His research focuses on deciphering heterogeneous populations of infecting bacteria using single-cell RNA sequencing.
Joram discovered his interest in functional genomics while studying biochemistry and molecular biology at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). There, he also gained interest in how to use high throughput technologies and genomics tools to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying microorganisms' tolerance to stress. This prompted him to seek a master's fellowship at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), in China, where he worked on the Genetic Basis of Aroma/flavour Regulation in Carica Papaya and gained some practical experience in molecular biology bioinformatics.
Joram subsequently received the chance to pursue a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, China. This chance expanded his scientific networking by allowing him to meet with other scientists from different disciplines on research conference platforms, which was a career-changing experience for him. His PhD project focused on high-throughput transcriptome (RNA-SEQ) profiling of distinct maize genotypes with contrasting responses to abiotic stress to identify essential genes, pathways, and ncRNAs for developing improved plants.
His current 'EC' postdoctoral research in UCMR PI Kemal Avican lab focuses on deciphering heterogeneous populations of infecting bacteria with single-cell RNA sequencing. In this research, Joram is applying the latest microfluidic technology of encapsulating bacteria cells through semi-permeable hydrogel microcapsules for single-cell analysis. This will enable him to identify the heterogeneity and sub-population associated with vast bacterial infections.
Publications
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5Ht7MwsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Umeå Postdoc Society
Joram is an active member of the Umeå Postdoc Society.