Previous Projects
This page presents an overview of my earlier research projects that have played a key role in shaping my expertise and interests. Each project reflects my contributions to hypothesis design, data interpretation, and publication, highlighting a strong grounding in both molecular biology and computational approaches.
1. SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Analysis and Immunoinformatics
Role: Research Assistant
Institute: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUST
Duration: April 2021 – January 2023
This study examined mutation patterns and immune profiling of SARS-CoV-2 variants such as Delta and Omicron. Leveraging over 200,000 GISAID sequences, I used tools including NextClade, PredictSNP, and DynaMut to identify harmful spike protein mutations linked to immune evasion and structural instability.
Machine learning models were developed to classify high-risk mutations, while immunoinformatics platforms (IEDB, NetCTLpan) were applied to evaluate T-cell and B-cell epitope diversity. The work contributed to several publications:
- Scientific Reports (2023): Global analysis of shared mutations in deceased patients
- Frontiers in Pharmacology (2023): Variant-specific mutation mapping for vaccine development
- Advances in Biomarker Sciences and Technology (2023): Multi-omics biomarker analysis in cancer–diabetes overlap
- Frontiers in Immunology (2022): Natural immune enhancers during COVID-19
My role included data preprocessing, statistical modeling in R and SPSS, and preparing figures using Adobe Illustrator.
2. Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 & Environmental Virology
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Role: Research Assistant
Institute: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, SUST and COVID-19 Testing Lab at NSTU
Duration: November 2020 – June 2021
This collaborative project combined environmental sampling with molecular diagnostics to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater from areas with limited sanitation. My responsibilities included:
- Collecting and processing wastewater samples
- RNA extraction and qRT-PCR analysis
- Developing R-based frameworks to track spatial and temporal patterns
- Environmental Pollution (2022): Surveillance protocols for low-resource regions
- Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health (2023): Linking wastewater data with clinical diagnostics
- medRxiv (2021): Pilot studies on decentralized wastewater monitoring
Key publications arising from this work include:
This project directly supported early-warning systems for COVID-19 outbreaks and demonstrated my ability to integrate microbiology, public health, and data science.
3. Molecular Docking and Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 RBD Inhibitors
Role: Research Assistant (Remote)
Institute: Red-Green Research Center
Duration: February 2020 – December 2021
This project applied structure-based drug discovery to design small molecules and RNA aptamers targeting the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD). I used YASARA, GROMACS, and Desmond for molecular docking and MD simulations.
- Compiled and curated ligand libraries
- Modeled RBD-ligand interactions
- Identified lead compounds with high binding affinity and executed Linux-based simulation pipelines for stability analysis
4. Cyanobacteria-Based Bioremediation
Role: Research Assistant
Institute: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, SUST
Duration: November 2020 – March 2021
Here, I worked with blue-green algae (Microcoleus sp.) to remove heavy metals from industrial wastewater through biosorption. I optimized growth conditions and conducted batch assays under varying pH and retention times.
Removal efficiencies were measured using AAS and spectrophotometry, and results were modeled with Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. This research contributed to:
- AQUA – Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society (2023): Application of Microcoleus in wastewater bioremediation