Throughout my academic journey, I’ve had the opportunity to immerse myself in a wide range of research projects that have shaped my expertise in comparative genomics, bioinformatics, microbial genetics, and molecular biology. My training has been both rigorous and rewarding—centered on analyzing defense mechanisms, antibiotic resistance genes, and pathogenicity islands within large-scale bacterial genomic and metagenomic datasets. I’ve worked extensively with a variety of computational and bioinformatic tools to uncover insights that matter.

My research has been published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals such as Nature Communications, Nucleic Acids Research, and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. I also had the privilege of attending an international course at the Pasteur Institute in France, where I deepened my understanding of TnSeq, RNASeq, and functional genomics.

As a junior faculty member at the University of Dhaka (2014–2017), I was honored to receive two early-career research grants. What made this time especially meaningful was involving undergraduate students in both projects—mentoring the next generation of scientists while pushing the boundaries of our research.

My passion lies in translational research, particularly in harnessing microbial systems for therapeutic medicine. During my postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, I contributed to a project exploring genomic instability using fission yeast as a model. One of my key contributions was helping develop a CRISPR toolkit to modulate fission yeast, paving the way for studying genetic mutations linked to cancer, obesity, and aging.

Before that, at Cornell University, I focused on the computational analysis of transposable DNA elements associated with antibiotic resistance and explored their potential in genome editing. My work targeted bacterial pathogens—recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “priority pathogens” due to their role in nosocomial infections and the urgent need for new antibiotics.

Looking ahead, I’m driven to collaborate and build my own research group. My vision is to explore bacterial mechanisms that contribute to pathogenicity (like biofilm formation and multidrug resistance), genomic instability (with implications for cancer progression), and the development of therapeutic phages for early disease detection and personalized medicine. I aim to integrate cutting-edge computational biology, AI, machine learning, and wet lab techniques to push the frontiers of biomedical science.

Project 1: Engineering Mobilomes for Cancer-Associated Microbiome Modulation

Cancer-associated microbiomes profoundly influence tumor initiation, progression, and therapeutic response, yet their manipulation remains challenging due to safety and precision concerns with current approaches like FMT. This project investigates how bacterial defence systems CRISPR-Cas, BREX, CBASS, and others shape mobilome dynamics within cancer microbiomes. By mapping these interactions, we aim to design synthetic, defence-informed mobilomes (including bacteriophages and transposons) for targeted microbiome modulation and early cancer detection. My expertise in bacteriophage biology ensures the rational engineering of phage-based tools that can overcome bacterial immunity, enabling safer, more precise microbiome-targeted cancer therapies. Collaborators in oncology and cancer biology can help validate these strategies in clinically relevant models, paving the way for next-generation microbiome-based interventions.

Project 2: Defence-Informed Phage Biocontrol for Safer Foods

Foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter remain major public health threats. Phage-based interventions are promising but often fail due to bacterial antiviral defence systems. This project introduces a defence-first strategy, leveraging genomic insights to pre-select phages and phage products optimized for real-world food matrices.
My expertise in bacteriophage biology and defence genomics enables the identification of phages with anti-defence capabilities and the design of robust phage solutions. Together with food safety partners, we can deliver residue-free, precision biocontrol solutions that reduce resistance risk and accelerate industrial adoption. Collaborators in food science can help validate these tools in HACCP-compliant environments, bridging lab innovation to market-ready solutions.

Project 3: Microbial Defence Dynamics in Polluted Soils

Soil microbiomes underpin ecosystem resilience, yet industrial pollution and climate stressors disrupt their stability and gene flow. This project investigates how bacterial defence systems and mobile genetic elements interact under pollution gradients, influencing horizontal gene transfer and adaptability. Insights will inform strategies for bioremediation and sustainable agriculture, including the potential use of engineered bacteriophages as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides. My expertise in phage biology positions me to design phage-based interventions that respect ecological balance while enhancing remediation efficiency. Collaborators in environmental microbiology, genomics, and biotechnology can join to develop DNA-based monitoring tools and microbial solutions for pollution mitigation, supporting both ecological restoration and industrial sustainability goals.

Project 4: Synergistic Bacterial Immunity for Next-Generation Gene Editing

CRISPR-Cas has transformed genome editing, yet challenges like off-target effects and limited efficiency persist. This project seeks to harness synergistic bacterial defence systems e.g. retrons, phosphorothioate systems, and others that naturally co-occur with CRISPR to enhance editing precision and versatility. My background in bacteriophage biology and bacterial immunity provides a unique perspective for identifying and reconstituting these systems in eukaryotic cells. Through bioinformatics-driven discovery and experimental validation, we aim to develop combinatorial gene-editing platforms with improved HDR efficiency and reduced off-target activity. This work offers to collaborate with biomedical scientists to develop new tools for therapeutic genome engineering, disease modelling, and functional genomics, paving the way for safer, more effective interventions in oncology and beyond.

Call for Collaboration

If you are an oncologist, cancer biologist, biomedical scientist, or biochemist interested in advancing these transformative ideas, I invite you to collaborate. Together, we can integrate expertise across disciplines to deliver innovative solutions that address pressing challenges in cancer therapy, food safety, environmental sustainability, and precision medicine.

Please reach out to explore potential synergies and funding opportunities.

Accepting self-funded PhD students