As Business Unit Manager, Michael Abdo is a Business Unit Manager ( Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Agrigenomics) at Illumina Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA). He combines his knowledge of Illumina’s solutions and their application across the fields of microbiology, infectious disease and agrigenomics, with twenty years’ experience working across Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Having read at the University of Western Australia in pathology and molecular biology, with subsequent business studies at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Michael has worked in diagnostic laboratories for both human and animal health and completed post-doctoral training in the field of protein engineering.

Prior to joining Illumina, Michael supported the adoption of laboratory automation, becoming acutely aware of the importance of laboratory workflows and quality control, from sample handling to next generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation. Having gained experience in most molecular assays from Southern Blots to Polymerase Chain Reaction, to NGS, Michael has developed a clear understanding of the application of molecular technology and the utility of the data generated.