Rate My Professor Sassan Asgari

Professor Sassan Asgari holds the position of Professor in the School of the Environment at the University of Queensland, specializing in biological sciences with a focus on insect molecular biology. He obtained his Bachelor of Science from Isfahan University of Technology, followed by a Master's (Coursework) in Agricultural Studies and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Adelaide. He also completed a Graduate Certificate at the University of Queensland. After his doctoral studies, Asgari joined the University of Queensland as a lecturer in late 2003, advancing to his current professorial role where he leads research on insect host-pathogen interactions.

Asgari's research investigates the evolutionary arms race between insects, particularly mosquitoes, and pathogens such as dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus. His lab employs molecular techniques, including next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics, to identify pro- and anti-viral factors, examine the roles of non-coding RNAs like microRNAs in biology and interactions, and study microbiome effects on virus replication, notably Wolbachia-mediated virus blocking. With 185 publications spanning 1994 to 2026—comprising 170 journal articles, 13 book chapters, and 2 conference papers—key works include "Wolbachia RNase HI contributes to virus blocking in the mosquito Aedes aegypti" (iScience, 2022), "Role of Vigilin and RACK1 in dengue virus-Aedes aegypti-Wolbachia interactions" (mSphere, 2025), "Transcriptomic response of mosquitoes to Japanese encephalitis virus and identification of its potential entry factors" (npj Viruses, 2025), and "Interaction of the Wolbachia surface protein with a novel pro-viral protein from Aedes aegypti" (mBio, 2024). He has obtained significant grants from the Australian Research Council, NHMRC, NIH, and others for projects on RNA modifications, Wolbachia interactions, and RNAi applications. As Editor-in-Chief of Insect Molecular Biology since 2023, Asgari shapes the discourse in insect molecular research. He has supervised 21 higher degree research students to completion, including numerous PhDs on mosquito-virus dynamics and non-coding RNAs, and currently oversees several doctoral projects.