Sanjib Bhakta is currently a full-Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Biochemistry, Strategic Dean (Internationalisation and Partnership) and Programme Director of MRes Global Infectious Diseases at the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London and UCL (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/biology/our-staff/academic/sanjib-bhakta).

Following a BSc (Hons), an MSc and a PhD in Molecular Microbiology & Biochemistry from world class Universities & Research Institutions in India, Dr Bhakta joined the Oxford University Division of Medical Sciences as an Oxford University innovation Senior Research Scholar and shortly after he was awarded with a Wellcome Trust International post-doctoral Fellowship. He graduated from The Queen’s College, University of Oxford completing a second doctoral degree (DPhil in Pharmacology) and received a “Sir William Paton Prize” from the Oxford University Division of Medicine. He attained his first academic appointment at the University of London as a University Lecturer to lead his interdisciplinary research and research-informed teaching and promoted to a Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor), to a Reader and then a full Professor in 2019. He became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK after achieving a PGCHE from the University of London. To date, he has supervised twelve PhD students, post-doctoral scientists, a UNESCO-L’Oreal “Women in Science” Fellow, an ERS-International Fellow, a ICMR-International Fellow in his Laboratory. Prof. Bhakta is a core member of UCL-TB (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/tb) and MRC-funded TB Drug Discovery consortium, UK. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, received Academic Excellence Award, awarded with a Cipla Distinguished Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences, BITE Professorial Fellowship and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. He is an “Antibiotic Action Champion” member of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. As a STEM ambassador Professor Bhakta has volunteered for the Wellcome Trust-funded programme “Researchers in Residence”, a winner of “I’m a Scientist, Get me out of Here” and has participated in the British Science Museum “News & Views” programme. His original research publication in Nature Scientific Report (Top 100 most read article in 2018) on anti-infective molecules from Persian Shallots revealed resistance-reversal properties of natural products and featured in BBC Health News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42751095).On a regular basis, he has acted as a Mentor for PhD students and early career international research staffs at a career acceleration programme organised by Oxford and London University Career Services.