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PHD Projects
Research Project - DC6

Research Project - DC6

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My name is Jessica Yazbek, originally from Lebanon. I hold a master’s degree in Biochemistry and a second master’s in Functional Genomics and Proteomics, during which I worked on AMR bacteria.

I later worked as a research assistant at Human Link, gaining expertise in influenza surveillance, before embarking on my PhD journey in the VIVACE network.

My project will explore how vaccination shapes the genomic evolution and transmission of avian influenza by comparing samples collected from vaccinated and unvaccinated farms. I will be based at SEVAB, Université de Toulouse, and at the CSEIV, NRC, Egypt, under co-supervision of Pr. Christelle Camus, Pr. Siham Fellahi, and Dr. Rabeh El-Shesheny.

Outside of research, I love traveling, dancing, and reading.

DC6 — Tracking the Genomic Evolution of avian influenza in vaccinated and non-vaccinated poultry

DC6 leverages Egypt’s heterogeneous vaccination landscape to study how vaccination affects AIV evolution and transmission. Applying NGS and advanced bioinformatics (co-developed with DC5), the project sequences positives from vaccinated and non-vaccinated farms, then uses phylogeographic/phylodynamic analyses to infer connectivity and the emergence of immune escape.

The goal is early detection of outbreaks and a comparative view of diversity and drift across vaccination contexts. A ULB secondment strengthens modelling skills, enabling DC6 to link sequence data to farm-to-farm spread patterns and to inform risk assessment and response.

Modification date: 14 October 2025 | Publication date: 01 October 2025 | By: Iris Angeles DE CESARE