Akbar S. Khan, M.Phil; Ph.D
Senior Microbiologist & Program
Director (Acq Level III and COR certified),(GS-15)
CB Basic and Supporting Science
Program, Joint Science and Technology Office
Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Dr. Akbar S.
Khan received his Ph.D. in Chemistry & Biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma at Norman in 1989 where
he studied DNA version of tRNA under able supervision of Prof. Bruce A. Roe published in Science
1988. Dr. Khan was a NIH’s post-doctoral trainee for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program at The University of Colorado School
of Medicine in Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Khan collaborated with Dr. Craig Venter and initiated the genomics work on human
genes called EST (Expressed Sequence Tags) and STS (Sequence Tag Sites) from human brain and published the findings in Nature Genetics in 1992. He led a team of national and international scientists to
finish the mapping and sequencing of chromosome 22 which is the first chromosome mapped and sequenced by the public consortium.
The sequence and analysis results were published as the cover stories in Nature
in December 1999 and 2001. His areas of research interest are cancer genetics, functional genomics and bioinformatics, biosensors,
and emerging biothreats and developing drugs for infectious disease agents. He
is part of a group in initiating a genomics and bioinformatics, biothreat and bioagent fate programs at the US Army Edgewood
Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) located in Edgewood, Maryland.
Dr. Khan is an
Acquisition Corp certified level III and COR certified program Director for Basic and Supporting Science Program at Defense
Threat Reduction Agency located at Fort Belvoir
in Alexandria. In 2007, Dr. Khan received Director’s
Annual Team Award 2006, 2009 and 2011 from DTRA Directors for performance excellence in Science Advisory and Program Management.
Dr.
Khan organized and co-chaired the first ever NATO advanced research workshop on “Emerging Biological Threat” in
2003 in Budapest, Hungary and serves as a reviewer for American Cancer Society, Biotechniques, Genome Research and the Journal
of Applied Toxicology. Dr. Akbar S. Khan joined Edgewood Chemical Biological
Center in December 1999, from United States of America Research Institute
on Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) where he was a part of a team instrumental in desiging recombinant vaccines against various
infectious microbial agents. Dr. Khan also managed Masint programs for Air Force from 1999-2004 where he with collaborators
at University of Washington, Seattle and Seattle Sensor System developed a miniaturized surface-plasmon
based biosensor to detect and identify biological warfare agents. Dr. Khan with a team of investigators designed and developed
50 Taqman PCR assays to detect first 10 high priority biothreat agents for intelligence agencies. His awards and recognition
include DTRA Director’s Annual Team Award for excellence in Science Advisory and Program Management in 2006, 2009 and
2011, Department of Army’s Research & Development Achievement Award for technical excellence in 2002, silver medal for young scientist of the year in 2001 from the Baltimore Federal Executive Board in Federal
Career, Bronze Medal for Scientific Excellence from 22nd Army Science Conference in 2000. Dr. Khan also received excellence in teaching and research awards from University of Oklahoma in 1987. At Aligarh University in India, Dr. Khan received gold medals for standing first in B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc.
in 1977 and 1979. Dr. Khan serves as adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore, was adjunct
Professor of Biology and Chemistry at University of Oklahoma at Norman, was adjunct Associate Professor at The University
of Colorado School of Medicine, consulted with Pyrosequencing, Millinium Pharmaceuticals, Curagen and Molecular Dynamics,
Amersham and Mitre Corporation.
Dr. Khan served
as a loaned executive from Defense Threat Reduction Agency at Office of Secretary of Defense from 2006-2008. His responsibilities included to provide leadership and management skills to DOD and DOD overseas Combined
Federal Campaigns. The combined DOD campaigns generate over 27 million dollars annually for OPM approved & sponsored charities
and are the only authorized charitable solicitations within the DOD. In 2006 & 2008, Dr. Khan worked with army accounts
and was instrumental in raising a record amount of $M15.6 & $M15.8 from DOD federal workers. For his service in 2006 &
2007, he won a prestigious “THE MORELAND LOANED EXECUTIVE AWARD” for performance excellence in this assignment
from Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Gordon England
and Loaned Executive Excellence award from Office of Secretary of Defense from Washington Headquarter Services Director, Ms.
Jane Thompson.
He also served
as an advisor on Defense Science Board 2000. Dr. Khan is a National Research Council post-doctoral fellow mentor. He is the
author of more than 100 peer reviewed scientific journal articles and 25 technical reports, co-editor of two books and book
articles, six patents and has given more than 100 presentations to national & international scientific professional groups.