Honours Student

Sahil has a BSc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology; as well as experience as an agricultural transformation consultant, laboratory sales and data administrator, and as a laboratory technician and high school biology teacher. He is currently completing his BSc Honours in Microbiology, within the African Microbiome group.
His project utilises shotgun metagenomics to analyse the gut microbiome of southern right and humpback whales, with a focus on the potential effect of the whales’ microbiomes on the nutritional composition of their faeces.

His research contributes to the limited understanding of humpback and southern right whales’ gut microbiomes, as well as expands on the role of whale faeces in marine biogeochemical cycling.