Dr Nazanin Zounemat-Kermani | Computational Systems Medicine | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Nazanin Zounemat-Kermani is an accomplished biomedical data scientist whose research stands at the forefront of precision medicine, respiratory disease, and artificial intelligence. Currently serving as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at both the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) and the Data Science Institute (DSI) at Imperial College London, she has earned international recognition for her leadership in multi-omics data integration and machine learning applications in health sciences.

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🎓 Educational Background:

Dr. Kermani’s academic journey reflects a rare interdisciplinary blend of computer science and biomedical research. She holds a PhD in Biomedicine from Imperial College London (2020), following dual master’s degrees in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Amsterdam (2011) and Machine Learning and Robotics from the University of Tehran (2004). Her academic roots trace back to a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2002).

💼 Professional Experience:

Since 2020, Dr. Kermani has worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London, after several years as a Research Assistant and PhD candidate in Zoltan Takats’ Lab. Her academic trajectory within one of the world’s top institutions reflects both her scientific rigor and leadership capabilities.

🎓🤝 Academic Mentorship:

Dr. Nazanin Zounemat-Kermani is widely respected not only for her scientific contributions but also for her unwavering commitment to mentorship and academic leadership. Throughout her career, she has actively nurtured the growth of early-career scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. As a senior member of interdisciplinary consortia such as AI-RESPIRE, PRISM, and U-BIOPRED, she has led cross-functional teams spanning clinical science, data engineering, and machine learning—mentoring junior colleagues in both technical development and scientific publishing. Her leadership style is inclusive and empowering, emphasizing hands-on guidance in areas such as statistical modeling, research communication, and responsible data science.

🏆 Awards and Honors:

Dr. Kermani has received numerous accolades, including the MSACL Young Investigator Award (2016), Scholar Awards from the American Thoracic Society (2022, 2023), and multiple research grants from prestigious bodies such as the UKRI, MRC, and EPSRC. She has also been invited to present her research by eminent scholars at institutions like Oxford University and Amsterdam UMC.

🌍 Global Projects and Leadership

Dr. Kermani has led and contributed to numerous high-impact international projects, including:

• RASP-UK: She developed a robust data management platform supporting clinical and omics data integration for asthma research.

• PIONEER: Co-led machine learning initiatives in prostate cancer, resulting in a key senior-author publication.

• U-BIOPRED: Coordinated Europe’s largest severe asthma cohort study, publishing over 20 peer-reviewed articles and acting as corresponding author on influential multi-omics studies.

• UK-Korea PRISM: Leads cross-national efforts in asthma pathophysiology using advanced analytics and single-cell data.

• AI-RESPIRE: Heads AI model development for environmental and physiological time-series data, mentoring early-career researchers.

• DeVENT and PROmics: Oversees analysis in critical care and deep learning integration in patient-reported outcomes.

📚 Publications:

1. CC16 Confers Protection Against Influenza A Virus Infection in Human Airway Epithelium
   H. Kimura, N.Z. Kermani, N. Kimura, M.M. Siddiq, D. Francisco, I.M. Adcock, et al.
   American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol. 211 (Abstracts), 2025.

2. Distinct Single-Cell Transcriptional Profile in CD4⁺ T-Lymphocytes Among Obese Children With Asthma
   V. Tejwani, R. Wang, A. Villabona-Rueda, K. Suresh, T.D. Wu, I.M. Adcock, et al.
   American Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Vol. 328(3), 2025.

3. Female Sex Hormones and the Oral Contraceptive Pill Modulate Asthma Severity Through GLUT-1
   A.C. Brown, O.R. Carroll, J.R. Mayall, N. Zounemat-Kermani, S.L.E. Vinzenz, et al.
   Mucosal Immunology, 2025.

4. Neutrophilic Inflammation in Sputum or Blood Does Not Define a Clinically Distinct Asthma Phenotype in ATLANTIS
   P.J.M. Kuks, T.M. Kole, M. Kraft, S. Siddiqui, L.M. Fabbri, K.F. Rabe, A. Papi, et al.
   ERJ Open Research, Vol. 11(1), 2025.

5. The Role of WNT5a and TGF‐β1 in Airway Remodelling and Severe Asthma
   T. Daud, S. Roberts, N. Zounemat-Kermani, M. Richardson, L.G. Heaney, et al.
   Allergy, 2025.

6. Clinical Importance of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Severe Asthma: Results from U-BIOPRED
   R. Meys, F.M.E. Franssen, A.J. Van ‘t Hul, P.S. Bakke, M. Caruso, B. Dahlén, et al.
   Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, Vol. 22(1), Article 109, 2024.

7. Radiomultiomics: Quantitative CT Clusters of Severe Asthma Associated With Multiomics
   N.Z. Kermani, K.F. Chung, G. Macis, G. Santini, F.A.A. Clemeno, A. Versi, K. Sun, et al.
   European Respiratory Journal, Vol. 64(5), 2024.

8. S12 Association Between Disease Duration and FEV1 in Severe Asthma Phenotypes and Endotypes
   F. Yang, N. Zounemat-Kermani, P. Dixey, I.M. Adcock, C.I. Bloom, K.F. Chung
   Thorax, Vol. 79(Suppl 2), A15–A16, 2024.

9. S120 Post-Hoc Analysis of Transcriptomic and Clinical Predictors of Remission in the ATLANTIS Cohort
   A.A. Kumar, T.M. Kole, M.C. Nawijn, K.F. Rabe, A. Papi, C. Brightling, D. Singh, et al.
   Thorax, Vol. 79(Suppl 2), A83–A84, 2024.

10. Discovery and Validation of a Volatile Signature of Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation in Asthma
    R. Peltrini, R.L. Cordell, M. Wilde, S. Abuhelal, E. Quek, N. Zounemat-Kermani, et al.
    American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol. 210(9), pp. 1101–1112, 2024.

11. Cardiovascular Events in CML Patients Treated With Nilotinib: Validation of the HFA-ICOS Baseline Risk Score
    M. Andres, F. Fernando, S. Claudiani, N. Kermani, G. Ceccarelli, J. Apperley, et al.
    European Heart Journal, Vol. 45(Suppl 1), ehae666.3169, 2024.

12. Scientific Business Abstracts
    F. Cooles, G. Vidal-Pedrola, N. Naamane, A. Pratt, B. Barron-Millar, et al.
    QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Article hcae157, 2024.

13. A Severe Asthma Phenotype of Excessive Airway Haemophilus influenzae Relative Abundance Associated With Sputum Neutrophilia
    A. Versi, A. Azim, F.X. Ivan, M.I. Abdel-Aziz, S. Bates, J. Riley, M. Uddin, et al.
    Clinical and Translational Medicine, Vol. 14(9), e70007, 2024.

14. Host-Microbial Interactions Differ With Age of Asthma Onset
    A. Versi, A. Azim, F.X. Ivan, M.I. Abdel-Aziz, S. Bates, J. Riley, et al.
    European Respiratory Journal, 2024.

15. Cardiovascular Events in CML Patients Treated With Nilotinib: Validation of the HFA-ICOS Baseline Risk Score
    F. Fernando, M.S. Andres, S. Claudiani, N.Z. Kermani, G. Ceccarelli, A.J. Innes, et al.
    Cardio-Oncology, Vol. 10(1), Article 42, 2024.

16. Endotypes of Severe Neutrophilic and Eosinophilic Asthma From Multi-Omics Integration of U-BIOPRED Sputum Samples
    N.Z. Kermani, C.X. Li, A. Versi, Y. Badi, K. Sun, M.I. Abdel-Aziz, M. Bonatti, et al.
    Clinical and Translational Medicine, Vol. 14(7), e1771, 2024.

17. IL-33 Induced Gene Expression in Activated Th2 Effector Cells Is Dependent on IL-1RL1 Haplotype and Asthma Status
    A.K.S. Jayalatha, M.E. Ketelaar, L. Hesse, Y.E. Badi, N. Zounemat-Kermani, et al.
    European Respiratory Journal, Vol. 63(6), 2024.

18. Comparison of Asthma Phenotypes in Severe Asthma Cohorts (SARP, U-BIOPRED, ProAR and COREA) From Four Continents
    S.Y. Park, S. Fowler, D.E. Shaw, I.M. Adcock, A.R. Sousa, R. Djukanovic, et al.
    Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research, Vol. 16(4), p. 338, 2024.

19. Enose-Derived Response Clusters in Severe Asthmatics Treated With Anti-IL5/5R Biologics
    P. Dixey, N. Zounemat-Kermani, K. Raby, P.K. Bhavsar, K.F. Chung
    B16. Novel Insights Into Asthma Pathogenesis, A3013, 2024.

20. Association of CC16 Expression in the Airways With Signature Expression of Multi-Omics Data
    H. Kimura, N.Z. Kermani, I.M. Adcock, K.F. Chung, M. Kraft
    D91. Bridging the Gap: Translational Studies in ARDS, Pneumonia, and Sepsis, 2024.