Background & experience

CV

A record of my education, research, and teaching.

Georgeos Hardo

Email gh464@cantab.ac.uk
Web https://georgeoshardo.github.io
Location UAE University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Google Scholar GitHub

Summary

Assistant Professor in single-cell quantitative microbiology at UAE University

2025–present

Education

  • PhD in Systems/quantitative microbiology
    2025
    Control Group, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge
  • MPhil in Biotechnology
    2019
    Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge
  • B.Eng in Chemical Engineering
    2018
    Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield

Work Experience

  • Researcher in Systems Biology and Single-Cell Microbiology
    January 2020 - Present (PhD completed in April 2025)
    Department of Engineering - Cambridge University
    • High-throughput bacterial imaging in microfluidic devices.
    • Deep-learning tools for cell segmentation, tracking, and analysis.
    • Single-cell studies of antibiotic persistence and phage infection.
  • PhD Industrial Research Placement
    January 2022 - April 2022
    Nemesis Bioscience - Cambridge, UK
    • Deep-learning models for phage protein classification.
    • Bioinformatic design and optimisation of therapeutic phages.
  • Graduate Researcher
    June 2019 - September 2019
    AstraZeneca/MedImmune - Cambridge, UK
    • Designed mRNA UTRs using deep learning.
    • Validated model-designed UTRs in human cell lines.
  • Researcher
    September 2018 - June 2019
    Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Sustaintable Reaction Engineering Group - University of Cambridge
    • Graph-based modelling of chemical reaction literature.
    • Tools for selecting and optimising synthesis pathways.

Publications

  • Stress History Establishes a Transient Tolerant State That Shapes Antibiotic Survival Upon Resuscitation
    2026

    Abbott, K.*; Hardo, G.*; Li, R.; et al.

    Advanced Science

    * Equal contribution (co-first authors).

    View Publication
  • GEFF: Graph Exchange File Format
    2026

    Schwartz, M.; Malin-Mayor, C.; Lambert, T.; et al.

    Journal of Open Source Software
    View Publication
  • Metabolic control of porin permeability influences antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli
    2025

    Caño Muñiz, S.E.; Trigg, S.; Hardo, G.; et al.

    Nature Microbiology
    View Publication
  • Glycogen phase-separation drives macromolecular rearrangement and asymmetric division in E. coli
    2025

    Thappeta, Y.; Cañas-Duarte, S.J.; Wang, H.; et al.

    The EMBO Journal
    View Publication
  • Single-cell imaging of the lytic phage life cycle in bacteria
    2024

    Wedd, C.; Yunusov, T.; Smith, A.; et al.

    bioRxiv - currently in review in Cell Systems
    View Publication
  • Quantitative microbiology with widefield microscopy: navigating optical artefacts for accurate interpretations
    2024

    Hardo, G.; Li, R.; Bakshi, S.

    npj Imaging
    View Publication
  • Synthetic Micrographs of Bacteria (SyMBac) allows accurate segmentation of bacterial cells using deep neural networks
    2022

    Hardo, G.; Noka, M.; Bakshi, S.

    BMC Biology
    View Publication
  • Challenges of analysing stochastic gene expression in bacteria using single-cell time-lapse experiments
    2021

    Hardo, G.; Bakshi, S.

    Essays in Biochemistry
    View Publication

Presentations

  • Synthetic microscopy enables high-throughput cell-fate modelling of transient antibiotic tolerance during bacterial resuscitation
    2026
    8th International Symposium on Image-based Systems Biology
    Jena, Germany
  • Optical illusions in quantitative microbiology with widefield microscopy
    2024
    Warwick-Cambridge Quantitative Cell Biology Symposium
    Warwick, UK
  • Optical illusions and artefacts in the use of widefield microscopy for microbiology
    2023
    Physics of Living Matter Early Career Researcher Conference
    Cambridge, UK
  • Quantitative Microbiology with Microscopy: Effects of Projection and Diffraction
    2023
    Physics of Life Conference
    Harrogate, UK
  • Accurate Segmentation of Bacterial Cells Using Synthetic Training Data Reveals Novel Size Regulation Behaviour
    2022
    ASM Microbe Conference
    Washington DC, USA
  • SyMBac: Synthetic Training Data for Accurate and Precise Segmentation of Bacteria
    2021
    Physics of Living Matter Conference
    Cambridge, UK

Teaching

  • Selected Topics in Biotechnology (BIOM745)
    Department of Biology - United Arab Emirates University
    Role: Assistant Professor
    Taught Selected Topics in Biotechnology (BIOM745) in 2025 at the Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University.
  • General Genetics (BIOC270)
    Department of Biology - United Arab Emirates University
    Role: Assistant Professor
    Taught General Genetics (BIOC270) in 2026 at the Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University.
  • Molecular Biology of Genes (BIOM335)
    Department of Biology - United Arab Emirates University
    Role: Assistant Professor
    Taught Molecular Biology of Genes (BIOM335) in 2025 and 2026 at the Department of Biology, United Arab Emirates University.
  • Cambridge University Synthetic Biology Society
    University of Cambridge and iGEM
    Role: Instructor
    I mentor undergraduates and graduate members of the Cambridge University Synthetic Biology Society in the fields of synthetic biology and molecular biology year round, giving talks on mathematical modelling of gene expression systems, and analysis of bioimage data. I also mentor students during the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition each summer, taking the lead on the mathematical and computational side of the project.
  • BioDesign - MPhil Computational Biology
    Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics - University of Cambridge
    Role: Supervisor and demonstrator
    Taught introductory mathematics for biologists, general biology for engineers and mathematicians, synthetic biology, genetic circuit design, modelling genetic circuits. Ran labs covering the theoretical (computational) design of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, and the mathematics behind and implementation of modern DNA computing.
  • Part III Systems Biology
    Cambridge Systems Biology Centre - University of Cambridge
    Role: Supervisor
    An advanced and mathematics focussed 4th year undergraduate course for the top performers of the Cambridge Natural Sciences Tripos. Taught evolutionary modelling, stochastic modelling of gene expression, synthetic biology principles, bioinformatics, game theory.
  • Mathematical Biology - Natural Sciences Tripos
    Corpus Christi, Pembroke, and St Catherine's Colleges - University of Cambridge
    Role: Supervisor
    A year-long mathematics course for undergraduates, encompassing a quarter of their teaching time in the first year. Taught probability theory, linear algebra, probability theory, statistics, linear models, calculus, differential equations, biological systems modelling.

Interests

  • Bioimage analysis
    Deep Learning, Segmentation, Tracking
  • Systems Biology
    Antibiotic persistence, Antibiotic resistance, Modelling biophysics of cell growth
  • Microscopy
    Widefield microscopy, Virtual microscopy, High throughput single-cell imaging
  • Microfluidics
    The mother machine, Single cell chemostats