Maia A. Rabaa

Maia Rabaa co-leads the Molecular Epidemiology research group at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she has been based since 2012. Maia conducts research to better understand the molecular evolution and epidemiology of a variety of pathogens, using a combination of phylogenetic, epidemiological, and laboratory studies.

Her work on viral pathogens includes studies of the evolution and phylogeography of flaviviruses (especially dengue and Zika) and Rotavirus A, the genetic epidemiology of the dengue virus in relation to vaccine efficacy, and the evolution and epidemiology of viruses at the human-animal interface. Her interests in evolutionary processes have also led her to more recently focus on the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance in populations across Asia, especially Shigella spp., E. coli, and Salmonella Typhi, and to design experimental work to uncover the evolutionary mechanisms that drive antimicrobial resistance.

More broadly, her research interests are in the design of disease surveillance, experimental methods, and analytical methods to optimize epidemiological and evolutionary inference and provide a strong scientific basis for public health decision-making, particularly as it relates to the establishment of sustainable, evolution-proof immunization and disease control programs.