Dr Archana Sharma-Oates PhD

• BSc, Biochemistry, University of Liverpool, UK
• MRes (Distinction), Bioinformatics, University of Leeds, UK
• PhD “Interpretation of C. elegans Genome Sequence Data through Gene Expression Patterns”, University of Leeds, UK

Following her undergraduate degree, Dr. Sharma-Oates spent a year working as a research assistant at Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA. She then returned to the UK to pursue an MRes in Bioinformatics at the University of Leeds, followed by a PhD, which included a three-month fellowship at the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima, Japan.

After completing her PhD, she worked for several years as a post-doctoral research fellow in various research areas, including cancer, animal development and disease, and COVID-19. In 2021, she began her current position as an Assistant Professor in Bioinformatics in the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham. Dr. Sharma-Oates is also affiliated with the institute of Data and AI, Centre for Environmental Research and Justice (CERJ) and the Department of Inflammation and Ageing.

Program Lead of MSc Bioinformatics (Distance Learning)

Module Lead for Computational Biology for Complex Systems (Dubai)

Module Lead for Essentials for Complex Systems (Distance Learning)

Module Lead for Computational Biology for Complex Systems (Distance Learning)

Deputy Lead for Computational Biology for Complex Systems (Edgbaston)

Dr Sharma-Oates is currently supervising bioinformatics projects focused on:

• Integrative analysis of genetic, proteomic, and clinical data to identify biomarkers of persistent pain in post-operative osteoarthritis patients.
• Exploring mechanisms of platelet function using large datasets and employing machine learning and bioinformatics tools.

• Restoring environmental justice with Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) for diverse ethnic populations

Students interested in pursuing a PhD position are encouraged to contact Dr Sharma-Oates directly via email.

Dr Sharma-Oates is an Assistant Professor in Bioinformatics with extensive experience in transcriptomic, whole genome/exome sequences and methylome data analysis applied to research in cancer, musculoskeletal and ageing.  She works with large-scale datasets such as UK Biobank to explore population-level insights and uncover disease mechanisms and biological pathways.

She is particularly interested in determining the underlying mechanisms behind the earlier onset of diseases in minority ethnic groups, focusing on the contributions of the environmental factors versus the genetics. Her expertise in bioinformatics enables her to contribute across a wide range of biomedical and translational research areas.

She is a member of the Biosciences Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee and the British Society for Research on Ageing