Global Fellows Advances Daniel Czyz’s Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborations in India
Antibiotics have transformed modern medicine, but the bacteria they are designed to kill continue to adapt. As resistance grows and treatment options narrow, infections once considered manageable are becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
For Daniel Czyz, associate professor in the University of Florida Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, confronting antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, requires looking beyond conventional antibiotics - and beyond national borders.
Czyz studies nontraditional approaches to fighting bacterial infections, including silver nanoparticles, bacteriophages, and host-targeted antimicrobial strategies. His laboratory investigates how these approaches can directly eliminate bacteria or strengthen the ability of host cells to clear infections, with the goal of developing new therapies that can overcome antibiotic-resistant infections while reducing reliance on conventional antibiotics. Building on this work, Czyz is establishing the One Health Phage Innovation Center at UF, which will advance the development and translation of bacteriophage-based therapies across human health, animal health and agriculture. The Center will bring together phage discovery, therapeutic development and clinical application while expanding collaborations across UF and with national and international partners.
With support from the UF International Center’s Global Fellows Program and the UF/IFAS Global Food Systems Institute (GFSI), Czyz traveled to Bengaluru, India, to build collaborations in antimicrobial resistance, phage therapy and microbiome research related to neurodegenerative diseases. The visit connected his laboratory research at UF with scientists, clinicians and students working on these challenges in India while exploring how scientific discoveries could translate into broader clinical and global health applications.
A global problem requires global perspectives
During his visit, Czyz delivered invited lectures at host institution Kristu Jayanti University and met with faculty, students, clinicians, researchers and university leaders. His itinerary extended beyond a single university, with visits to the Foundation for Neglected Disease Research, Bengaluru Baptist Hospital, the National Centre for Biological Sciences, and the University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology. Conversations ranged from basic science and host-microbe interactions to phage therapy, traditional medicine-inspired therapeutics and new antimicrobial strategies.
The visit also gave Czyz firsthand insight into how AMR challenges and research environments vary across contexts. “This international experience reinforced the importance of global collaboration in addressing antimicrobial resistance, a global challenge that transcends national borders,” Czyz said. “Engaging directly with international faculty, clinicians, and students provided valuable insight into region-specific AMR challenges, resource environments, and translational opportunities that differ from those in the United States.”
Those differences are important. AMR moves among people, animals and environments, making it a One Health challenge connecting human health, agriculture and ecosystems. Czyz’s Global Fellows activities brought these perspectives together, linking laboratory research with potential translational and global health applications.
Mentorship helps shape the strategy
Czyz’s Global Fellows plans also drew on the expertise of Eric Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., a UF physician-scientist who leads an NIH-funded laboratory at the Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) and has extensive experience in global infectious disease research. As Czyz’s longtime mentor in antimicrobial resistance and phage research, Dr. Nelson helped shape the strategy for his engagement in India, including opportunities for international collaboration, translational phage research and a broader One Health approach.
Six-photo collage of Daniel Czyz’s visit to India, showing group photos with hosts
at research and healthcare institutions, a presentation, and a green-screen recording studio.
Turning conversations into collaboration
Following the visit, Czyz continues to collaborate with his partners on research proposals and publications while exploring the development of a study abroad course. He is also working with Kristu Jayanti University to formalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will provide a framework for future research and collaborative projects. Czyz plans to return to India to further advance the research and educational initiatives launched through his Global Fellows experience
Those efforts could extend the impact to UF students. Czyz already teaches lecture and laboratory courses on antimicrobial resistance at UF. An educational program in India could give students firsthand exposure to how AMR is studied and addressed across different scientific, clinical and public health contexts.
The experience also revealed strong interest among partners in India in deeper collaboration with UF. Czyz sees those relationships contributing to UF’s long-term work in One Health and antimicrobial resistance. He credits the Global Fellows Program with providing both the resources and preparation to pursue those connections internationally.
“The Global Fellows Program played a crucial role in expanding my research internationally by providing both generous financial support and a comprehensive series of workshops on building global collaborations,” Czyz said. “These professional sessions equipped me with practical guidance and valuable insights that helped me plan my international partnerships. I highly recommend this outstanding and much-needed program to anyone who wants to bring their research abroad.”
Czyz returned from India with more than new scientific perspectives. The relationships developed during the visit are now taking shape as research proposals, additional educational opportunities and plans for continued collaboration, laying the groundwork for UF and its partners in India to address a global health challenge that no single institution or country can tackle alone.
Could you be the next UF Global Fellow? Applications for the 2027 Global Fellows Program are now open.