Mawra Gohar

Mawra Gohar

BS Microbiology, MPhil, PhD

Affiliations

Postdoctoral Associate

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Emerging Scholars

Contact information

Web presence

Location

Office: HSCB044

Preferred method of communication

Email

Background

Educational Background

PhD Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Calgary,, 2026

MPhil. Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, 2014

BS Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, 2012

Biography

Dr. Mawra Gohar is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on bacteriophages as alternatives to antibiotics for the prevention and control of bacterial infections, with particular emphasis on antimicrobial-resistant and pathogenic Escherichia coli.

Her research experience encompasses bacteriophage isolation and characterization, phage-host interactions, phage cocktail development, bacterial resistance to bacteriophages, and the evaluation of phage efficacy using in vitro and in vivo infection models. Her doctoral research investigated bacteriophage-based approaches for controlling avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), including the development of phage cocktails, assessment of phage resistance, and evaluation of therapeutic efficacy in poultry models.

Her current postdoctoral research extends these approaches to extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, including multidrug-resistant ST131 strains, with a focus on optimizing phage combinations, understanding mechanisms of phage resistance, and evaluating the therapeutic potential of bacteriophages.

Research

Areas of Research

Bacteriophage therapy, Antimicrobial Resistance, Phage–Host Interactions, Phage Resistance Mechanisms, Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), Microbial Genomics, One Health

Awards

  • CAN-AMR-Net Trainee Scholarship Award (2025), CAN-AMR Net, Canada. 2025
  • Second Place – Poster Presentation, One Health: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) & Emerging Zoonoses Conference . 2025
  • Top 12 Finalist – Student Poster Competition, , Canadian Society of Microbiologists (CSM) Annual Conference. 2025
  • Overseas Scholarship for PhD in Selected Fields, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan. 2021

Publications

More Information

  • Certification on “Cyberbiosecurity” by International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA)- 2024
  • Certification on “Biosecurity” by International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) - 2023
  • Certification on “Biorisk Management” by International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBA) - 2022