Bidhan Dhar is a Research Scientist in the Sabeti Lab. His work focuses on CRISPR-based diagnostics in the point-of-care platform, and disease surveillance to reduce the impact of viral diseases in the US, West Africa, and Low- and Middle-Income Countries. In addition, he is also actively contributing to the ongoing vaccine development project by helping in designing and running in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Bidhan obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Camerino, Italy. His Ph.D. work was supported by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission in MicroAqua research project in partnership with 12 European countries. There he developed molecular assays and microarray chip technology (in collaboration with SCIENION AG, Berlin Germany) to identify diatoms from complex environmental water samples using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Thereafter, during his postdoctoral training he developed point-of-care diagnostic assays for the colorimetric analysis of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (University of Central Florida, Orlando), detection and quantification of host mitochondrial DNA using droplet digital PCR assays (NC State University, Raleigh), and digital array molecular assays integrated with microfluidic chips for genetic analysis of point-of-care diagnostics of viruses (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill). At Virginia Tech (AREC, Winchester, VA), he improved fire-blight canker processing and viability of droplet digital PCR that allows the detection of Erwinia amylovora viable nonculturable cells in apple bark. He is passionate about developing thriving and innovative technologies for advancement of next generation public health countermeasures and preparedness for emerging infectious diseases.