Subir Sarker

Subir Sarker is Associate Professor in Microbiology in the Discipline of Biomedical Sciences & Molecular Biology, College of Medicine and Dentistry at James Cook University. Subir’s academic training reflects interdisciplinary interests spanning molecular virology and structural biology (PhD, Charles Sturt University, Australia), molecular virology and pathology (PGT, Institute of Experimental Zooprophylactic of Sardinia, Italy), molecular pathology (MSc, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh).

Prior to joining JCU in 2023, Subir accumulated over 15 years of professional experience across Australia, Italy, and Bangladesh. He began his career in 2009 with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where he led a team to strengthen biosecurity in Bangladesh as part of the Stamping Out Pandemic Avian Influenza (STOP AI) initiative. In 2010, he transitioned to academia as a Lecturer at the University of Rajshahi, one of the 2nd largest public universities in Bangladesh.

Subir is a recognised molecular virologist/microbiologist with an exceptional research trajectory in Australia since 2012, supported by several prestigious fellowships that underscore his academic excellence. His eight years of research fellowships include the Endeavour Research Fellowship, funded by the Australian Government's Department of Education and Training, and the Life Science Fellowship, supported by La Trobe University. His exemplary achievements were further recognised with an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) Fellowship. In acknowledgment of his significant contributions to microbiology, he has been awarded the Fellowship of the Australian Society for Microbiology (FASM) in 2023, the highest honour conferred by the organisation.

Subir has an impressive scientific portfolio, comprising over 160 peer-reviewed publications, including three books. His research has been featured in prestigious, high-impact journals relevant to his field, such as Nature Communications, Microbiome and Microbiological Research, among others. He has an average annual publication output of over 11 papers between 2015 and 2025, demonstrating a strong upward trajectory.

Subir’s research has had a significant real-world impact. He was the world first to show how single-stranded DNA plays a critical role in viral assembly at an atomic, a groundbreaking insight unveiled from his research. This seminal work, published in Nature Communications, has laid the groundwork for a potential antiviral treatment or vaccine targeting a highly lethal viral infection in avian species. Furthermore, this discovery has been instrumental in securing several competitive grants, including the "ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award" and the "Threatened Species Recovery Fund."

Subir’s national and international reputation is further demonstrated by his roles as a Committee Member of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, ASM Partnerships Standing Committee, and an Editorial Board Member for four prestigious academic journals: Frontiers in Microbiology, Viruses, BMC Veterinary Research and Poultry. Additionally, he serves as an expert assessor/reviewer for several funding agencies, including the Australian Research Council.

Current research group:

PhD student: Md. Eram Hosen (Primary Advisor): JCU

PhD student: Dibakar Chowdhury (Primary ;Advisor): JCU

PhD student: Md Mizanur Rahaman (Primary Advisor): JCU

PhD student: Nasrin Sultana Tonu (Primary Advisor): JCU

PhD student: Bidyut Matubber (Secondary Advisor): JCU 

MPhil student: Md Wajed Ali (Primary Advisor): Australia Awardee at JCU

MPhil student: Md Nahian Rahman (Secondary Advisor): JCU

PhD student: Eaftekhar Ahmed Rana (Secondary Advisor): Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia

PhD student: Tahura Khanam Munmun (Secondary Advisor): Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia

PhD student: Nazia Rahman (Secondary Advisor): Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia

Research Fellow (Adjunct): Dr Md Hakimul Haque

Former students: Bold font refers to JCU students

Ajani Athukorala (PhD), Keaton Mackenzie Crosse (PhD), Mithun Das (PhD), Md Mizanur Rahaman (MPhil), Natalie Klukowski (Hons), Hayley Katherine Roberts (Hons), Tadiwa Nyandowe (Hons).

• Mechanisms of host–pathogen interactions
• Epidemiology and evolution of emerging infectious diseases
• Virome and microbiome characterisation using next-generation sequencing
• Rational design and development of subunit vaccines
• Development of advanced diagnostic microbiology tools

• Virology
• Microbiology