Saeed Anwar

Saeed Anwar is a graduate student in the Department of Medical Genetics with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta.
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Born and raised in Bangladesh, Saeed Anwar holds a bachelor's degree (Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology) from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. Since his pre-sophomore days at university, Saeed actively participated in different research activities and received exposure to a wide range of tools and techniques. Having been primarily interested in genetic diseases, he studied the genetic and physiological factors responsible for rare and common genetic disorders present in Bangladesh, e.g., α and ß thalassemia, progeria, etc. At Shahjalal University, Saeed's work with Dr. Mohammad Jakir Hosen's research group at the Shahjalal University was a foundation study on consanguineous marriages' genetic burden in the Bangladeshi population. He also worked with Dr. Md Faruque Miah's research group, where his research provided important information on the genetic epidemiology of α-thalassemia in Bangladesh and described a model for α-thalassemia newborn screening in the country. He also studies some infectious diseases' epidemiological backgrounds. His work on the 2017 outbreak of chikungunya in Dhaka was one of the very first to look at the disease's hematological manifestations in adults and children.        

Upon finishing his undergraduate studies in Fall 2018, he spent a wonderful semester as a teaching assistant for Cytology and Cytogenetics at the same school. He then joined Pi Labs Bangladesh Ltd as a Junior Research Consultant (Biological/Biomedical Sciences). In Fall 2019, Saeed went to the University of Alberta, Canada to pursue graduate studies in Medical Genetics. At the University of Alberta, Saeed's research with Dr. Toshifumi Yokota aims to design, optimize, and translate novel genetic therapies for musculoskeletal diseases.
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In addition to his academic work, Saeed is a writer by passion. He has authored several sci-fi books, worked with the editorial teams of Tesla and BigganSchool Magazines (popular science magazines published in Bangladesh).