Dr. Priyadharshini Sekar is a Medical Microbiologist with expertise in research on human microbiome, antimicrobial resistance, and probiotics. She earned her Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology from the University of Madras, India, making a substantial contribution by discovering the horizontal transfer of antibiotic-resistant genes between multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens and the microbiota of the human gut. 

Currently, she works as a Researcher and Clinical Scientist at the Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, at the University of Sharjah, UAE. Her present research work focuses on investigating the therapeutic potential of probiotic strains in treating metabolic disorders, analyzing gut, and oral microbiomes using advanced techniques in morbidly obese patients, and discovering novel compounds that act on antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. She has earlier worked as a Consultant Microbiologist and contributed significantly during the pandemic in the COVID-19 testing laboratory established by her team, at RAK Hospital, UAE. Beyond research, Dr. Sekar has experience in mentoring and teaching. She has developed course materials and served as a lecturer/instructor to MBBS graduates postgraduate students and clinical dietitians. Throughout her career, Dr. Sekar has been acknowledged for her exceptional accomplishments with awards for research funding and best paper presentations at international conferences. Her passion for interdisciplinary research, coupled with her leadership skills and commitment to excellence, continues to drive her towards making significant contributions to the field of microbiology and healthcare.