CV

Education

• M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, 2025 (GPA: 4.00/4.00, Rank: 1/60)
  • Thesis: “Harnessing E. coli for cost effective production and purification of a novel pan-serotype multi-epitope vaccine against dengue virus”
  • Supervisor: Professor A.H.M. Nurun Nabi, PhD
• B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, 2023 (CGPA: 3.96/4.00, Rank: 1/60)

Work experience

• May 2026 - Present: Lecturer
  • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka
• May 2026 - Present: Researcher
  • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka
  • Responsibilities: Multi-omics bioinformatics projects developing risk models for stomach and bladder cancer; genetic association studies of non-communicable diseases; developing research proposals and grant applications
• October 2025 - May 2026: Research Fellow
  • International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b)
  • Responsibilities: Mammalian cell and virus culture under biosafety-compliant conditions; immunological and virological assays; biosimilar potency testing; clinical trial support for viral vaccines; antiviral drug discovery
• June 2025 - September 2025: Senior Research Assistant
  • International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b)
  • Responsibilities: Maintaining mammalian cell lines; assisting in virus culture experiments; supporting laboratory operations and experimental optimization; training junior researchers and interns
• September 2023 - June 2025: MS Thesis Student
  • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka
  • Responsibilities: Designing an immunoinformatics-based multi-epitope vaccine targeting all dengue virus serotypes; cloning the vaccine construct into an expression vector; expressing and purifying the recombinant protein in E. coli; confirming expression and purity by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting

Skills

• Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
  • DNA and RNA extraction, PCR, qRT-PCR, gel electrophoresis
  • Molecular cloning and plasmid handling
  • Heterologous protein expression
  • SDS-PAGE and Western blotting
• Cell Culture and Virology
  • Mammalian cell culture, virus culture
  • Plaque assay, pseudovirus neutralization assay (PNA), focus reduction neutralization test (FRNT)
  • Biosimilar potency testing, antiviral drug screening
• Immunological Techniques
  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
  • Neutralization assays, immune response testing
• Bioinformatics
  • Genomics and transcriptomics data analysis
  • Immunoinformatics-based data analysis
  • Protein structure prediction and mutation analysis, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation
  • Machine learning model development
• Programming and Data Analysis
  • R (biostatistics, visualization, transcriptomics analysis)
  • Python (data processing, machine learning implementation)
  • Bash (Linux-based data handling and pipeline execution)
• Research and Academic Skills
  • Experimental design and optimization, data interpretation and statistical analysis
  • Scientific writing (manuscripts, theses, proposals)
  • Research presentation and seminar delivery
  • Training and mentoring junior researchers

Publications

Genetic association of vitamin D receptor variants and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with breast cancer risk and triple-negative phenotype in Bangladesh

Mowla, A., Mahmud, Z., **Raj, K. H.**, Tamanna, S., Zeba, Z., Ansari, F., & Howlader, M. Z. H. (2026). Genetic association of vitamin D receptor variants and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with breast cancer risk and triple-negative phenotype in Bangladesh. Scientific Reports.

A robust comprehensive immunoinformatics approach for designing a potential multi-epitope based vaccine against a reiterated monkeypox virus

**Raj, K. H.**, Hossain, E., Zahin, H., Noman, A. A., Saba, A. A., Sayem, M., Yasmin, T., & Nabi, A. H. M. (2025). A robust comprehensive immunoinformatics approach for designing a potential multi-epitope based vaccine against a reiterated monkeypox virus. Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 43, 102075.

Comprehensive in silico characterization of nonsynonymous SNPs in the human ezrin (EZR) gene and their role in disease pathogenesis

Akter, S., Fuad, M., Mahmud, Z., Tamanna, S., Sayem, M., **Raj, K. H.**, & Howlader, M. Z. H. (2025). Comprehensive in silico characterization of nonsynonymous SNPs in the human ezrin (EZR) gene and their role in disease pathogenesis. Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports, 42, 101972.

Teaching

Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Awards and Fellowships

🏅 National Science and Technology (NST) Fellowship - 2024
🏅 Provost Award - 2023, Amar Ekushey Hall, University of Dhaka
🏅 Provost Award - 2022, Amar Ekushey Hall, University of Dhaka
🏅 Dean’s Award - 2022, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Dhaka
🏅 Dhaka University Honors Scholarship - 2022