Meet a PHA4GE Member: IQRA SALEH
At school, Iqra Saleh will tell you, she was “quiet and nerdy”. But that has shaped her curiosity, she adds, a handy quality in her job a computational biologist and research specialist with the Clinical and Translational Research Incubator (CITRIC) bioinformatics team at Aga Khan University in Pakistan. We reached out to her to ask her a few questions about her ongoing curiosity, her studies, her current job, and her Swiftie status.
PHA4GE: Can you tell us a little about where you were born and grew up, and where you went to school?
IQRA SALEH: I come from Sahiwal, a city in Punjab, Pakistan. I studied at a government high school and later went to a private college. I was quiet and nerdy, usually in the good books of my teachers and happiest studying at home or in the library. Looking back, I think that curiosity and love of learning shaped a lot of who I became.
PHA4GE: What drew you to the life and natural sciences?
IS: I studied science at government high school , and biology was the subject that fascinated me most. I was always curious about how living systems work, from cells and microorganisms to the complexity of the human body. I loved that biology seemed to have endless questions to explore, and that curiosity eventually led me toward bioinformatics.
PHA4GE: Tell us a little about where you attended university, and what you studied. What inspired you to take up these subjects?
IS: I completed my BS in Bioinformatics at COMSATS University in Sahiwal through the Talent Hunt Scholarship, and later pursued my MS in Bioinformatics at COMSATS University Islamabad. Coming from a government school, receiving the Talent Hunt Scholarship was an important opportunity for me. It opened the door to a university education and allowed me to pursue a field that I genuinely enjoyed. Interestingly, it was during my bachelor’s degree that I discovered I was a bit of a mathematics nerd too! I became fascinated by mathematics, statistics and computer science and realised that I didn’t have to choose between biology and computing. Bioinformatics brought all these interests together, and that’s what really drew me toward computational biology.
PHA4GE: Please tell us about your post-studies working life. Tell us about the kind of research you are doing.
IS: As a Research Specialist, my work at Aga Khan University (AKU) spans bioinformatics, metagenomics, and pathogen genomics. I work on maternal and infant gut microbiome research, using large-scale sequencing data to study microbial communities and their relationship with health. I also work in pathogen genomics, including projects focused on pathogen diversity and genomic epidemiology using whole-genome sequencing data. Alongside running and developing bioinformatics pipelines, I work with R and Python for downstream statistical analysis, data interpretation, and visualisation. I also develop and automate reproducible workflows using tools such as Snakemake. What I enjoy most is bringing together biology, computation, and clinical questions to turn complex sequencing data into meaningful insights. I have also contributed to wastewater environmental surveillance efforts at AKU through the standardization of contextual metadata using PHA4GE standards, supporting more consistent and interoperable genomic surveillance data.
PHA4GE: What are your career goals? Do you perhaps have a five- or ten-year plan up your sleeve?
IS: I don’t have every step mapped out, but I know I want to keep growing as a computational biologist and researcher. I hope to deepen my expertise in genomics, metagenomics and reproducible bioinformatics while taking on greater responsibility in research and mentorship. More than a particular job title, my goal is to keep learning, work on meaningful problems and contribute to building bioinformatics capacity. Right now, I’m focused on strengthening my skills, not only in computational analysis but also in the research and manuscript-writing process, so that I can contribute more fully from analysing the data to communicating the science. I am also planning to pursue a PhD, but I want to take that step when the right opportunity comes along, ideally one that closely aligns with my research interests in microbiome science. Ultimately, I want to keep learning, produce meaningful research and build a name for myself through the quality and impact of my work.
PHA4GE: What inspired you to join PHA4GE?
IS: I was attracted to PHA4GE because of its focus on reproducible, interoperable and useful genomic approaches for public health. Working in bioinformatics has shown me how important, good standards and reproducible workflows are. I also wanted to be part of an international community where I could learn from others, exchange ideas and contribute my own experience.
PHA4GE: Now the tough questions — what are your interests outside of work? What are you listening to at the moment, and what has been your favourite movie of 2026 so far?
IS: I’m quite curious outside of work too. I go to the gym, and I love learning new things, I learnt swimming last year and this year I’ve started playing tennis, although I’m still very much a beginner! I also enjoy reading; most recently I read Ikigai, which I found to be a lovely little book about purpose and living a fulfilling life. I’m a Swiftie, but my music taste is eclectic and changes with my mood. I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift, and recently I’ve particularly been enjoying the Jonas Brothers at the gym and Ariana Grande’s Petal. My movie tastes just as varied. I love thrillers, horror and mystery, but I can enjoy a good romcom. I can’t really pick just one favourite movie from 2026 because I’ve enjoyed several, but I particularly liked The Odyssey. I also really enjoyed Until Dawn last year. I think I’m drawn to movies that either keep me guessing or completely pull me into the story, which probably explains why my movie choices can be so unpredictable!
