Overview:

Dr. Khakhum has more than 10 years of experience in vaccine development, bacterial pathogenesis, pathogen–host interactions, treatment strategies, diagnostics, and the development of animal models of infection for the Tier 1 select agents, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei. In current roles as a member of the Institutional Office of Regulated Nonclinical Studies, Dr. Khakhum leads and conducts in vitro and in vivo regulated studies to test and evaluate the efficacy of medical countermeasures against viral agents.

Research interests:

Dr. Khakhum’s research focuses on the development of vaccine platforms against Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei, as well as the study of host–pathogen interactions in melioidosis. Additionally, Dr. Khakhum investigates ocular diseases associated with Ebola virus infection and optimizes reverse genetics systems to study arenavirus pathogenesis.