Natalie Knox

Dr. Natalie Knox is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba. She also leads the Computational Biology Unit at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory. Her research integrates microbial genomics and bioinformatics for public health applications, including pandemic surveillance (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) and gut microbiome studies in immune-mediated diseases like multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She collaborates internationally to advance genomic epidemiology and diagnostics.

Education:

• PhD in Animal Sciences, University of Manitoba
• BSc in Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba

Research Interests:

• Public health metagenomics for pathogen detection
• Genomic surveillance of infectious diseases (e.g., Helicobacter pylori in Indigenous populations)
• Microbiome influences on immune-mediated diseases
• Implementation of genomic technologies in public health labs

Awards:

• Nakano Citation Award (2014)
• PHAC Research Merit Award (2012)

Labs/Teams: Leads the Computational Biology Unit at the National Microbiology Laboratory and contributes to the Visual and Automated Disease Analytics (VADA) Graduate Training Program.