Haider Manzer

Bio

Haider Manzer was raised by Pakistani immigrants who always stressed the importance of education. During his undergraduate education at the University of South Florida (USF), he had various opportunities that shaped his goals and career trajectory. He worked closely with physicians and researchers at the interface of infectious disease and neonatology, which led to a passion for understanding the mechanisms by which various pathogens infect newborns to develop novel therapeutics to prevent disease.

He received a BS and MS from USF in biomedical sciences and cell and molecular biology, respectively. During his time at USF, he investigated the manipulation of bacterial epigenetic factors in Actinobacteria to produce novel antibiotics for the treatment of multi-drug resistant pathogens. He then completed his doctoral thesis characterizing factors at the host-pathogen interface contributing to Group B Streptococcus colonization and disease.

As a postdoctoral fellow in the Zackular Lab, he is excited to investigate C. difficile infection-dependent epigenetic remodeling of the colonic epithelium from early life to adulthood. He aims to become a microbiology professor and PI of an academic lab that investigates both host and bacterial epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation that contribute to pathogenesis. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and playing board games.