Academic & Research Journey
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Computational Drug Discovery
Researcher Profile
Md. Mustak Khan
Research Assistant & Lab Manager ·
University of Chittagong
Founding Member & Instructor · BioPC
Bioinformatics Lab
I am an early-career researcher in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chittagong, focused on bridging experimental wet-lab rigor with translational computational biology. My research philosophy is rooted in exploring nature-derived bioactive compounds and decoding their therapeutic mechanisms against oxidative stress, aging, and metabolic disorders.
In the wet lab, I specialize in Caenorhabditis elegans culture, longevity profiling, stress resistance assays, and spectrophotometric antioxidant evaluations. In computational biology, I drive computer-aided drug design (CADD), molecular docking simulations, ADMET pharmacokinetics, and network pharmacology pipelines to uncover disease targets and optimize lead candidates.
Biochemistry
Molecular Biology
Bioinformatics &
CADD
C. elegans
Assays
Phytomedicine
Network
Pharmacology
Active Endeavors
Currently Working On
Real-time research initiatives, manuscripts in progress, and computational projects.
Manuscript Submissions & Prep
Co-authored submitted manuscripts on multi-epitope monkeypox (MPXV) vaccine design, Marburg virus VP40 inhibition (Ocimum basilicum), and Academic AI Usage & Dependency Scale (AAIUDS) validation, alongside drafting MS thesis articles for journal submission.
Longevity, Stress & Toxicity Pathways
Investigating in vivo antioxidant defense, 37 °C thermal stress survival kinetics at different hours, thrashing locomotion dynamics, solid-media lifespan, and brood size / progeny toxicity in C. elegans.
Bioinformatics & CADD Pipelines
Developing standardized virtual screening, reverse-docking, and network pharmacology workflows at BioPC to accelerate computational natural product drug discovery.
Academic Journey
M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2024 – 2026University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
Thesis Title: In silico and in vivo study of antioxidant activity of phytochemicals from Houttuynia cordata, a perennial herb using molecular docking and Caenorhabditis elegans model
Supervisors: Dr. Dwaipayan Sikdar & Dr. Suman Mojumder
B.Sc. (Honours) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2019 – 2024University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
Curriculum Focus: Molecular Biology, Enzymology, Metabolism, Biochemical Techniques, Genetics & Genomics, Immunology, Biophysics, Clinical Biochemistry, and Cell Biology.
Research Experience
Lab Manager & Graduate Research Assistant
Laboratory of Food Bioactives and Molecular Health · University of Chittagong- Serving as Lab Manager and Graduate Research Assistant at the unified Laboratory of Food Bioactives and Molecular Health (cu.ac.bd/fbmh), combining the former Laboratory of Applied Biosciences and Laboratory of Food Science and Nutraceutical.
- Directing comprehensive laboratory operations, reagent inventories, biosafety compliances, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Culturing and maintaining Caenorhabditis elegans strains; conducting 37 °C thermal stress assays, locomotion assays, lifespan evaluations, and brood size toxicity screenings.
- Executing phytochemical extractions, solvent fractionation, and quantifying Total Phenolic/Flavonoid Contents (TPC/TFC) from indigenous medicinal plants and seaweed samples.
- Conducting multi-parameter in vitro antioxidant capacity evaluations including DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP radical scavenging assays.
- Mentoring undergraduate research students in biosafety compliance, experimental protocols, and data analysis.
Research Project Lead & Founding Member
BioPC — Bioinformatics Lab of Research and Training- Leading computational drug discovery pipelines, receptor-ligand molecular docking (AutoDock Vina, PyRx), and pharmacokinetic evaluations (SwissADME).
- Co-authoring submitted research manuscripts on multi-epitope monkeypox (MPXV) vaccine design, Marburg virus VP40 matrix protein inhibitors from Ocimum basilicum, and psychometric AI dependency scale (AAIUDS) validation.
- Constructing compound-target-pathway interaction networks via Cytoscape and STRING databases for network pharmacology investigations.
- Designing and instructing structured computational biology training curricula, webinars, and hands-on bioinformatics workflows for 110+ student researchers across BioPC cohorts (including the 80+ participant Research Traineeship Program 3.0 and In Silico Innovation).
Teaching & Academic Outreach
Lead Internship Program & Instructor — Bioinformatics Research Internship 4.0
Advanced • OngoingBioPC - A Bioinformatics Lab · 4-Month Intensive (2026)
Directing an advanced 4-month research internship spanning 7 comprehensive modules: CADD, Network Pharmacology, Density Functional Theory (DFT), Computer-Aided Vaccine Design (CAVD), Cancer Bioinformatics, and Manuscript Writing. Registration ongoing until 20 Sep 2026.
Lead Instructor — In Silico Innovation: Computer-Aided Drug Design
50+ StudentsBioPC Bioinformatics Lab · Feb – Mar 2026
Instructed an intermediate 4-module training course covering structural bioinformatics, AutoDock Vina molecular docking, ADMET profiling, and Cytoscape network pharmacology for 50+ researchers across Bangladesh.
Verified Certificates & Training
December 2025
Computer-Aided Drug Design and Discovery
Learntoupgrade Online (Udemy)
Comprehensive training in computational drug design pipelines, molecular docking algorithms, binding energy analysis, and virtual screening protocols.
November 2025
Image Analysis using ImageJ
Proteintech
Quantitative biological image processing, thresholding, fluorescence intensity quantification, cell counting, and spatial morphological analysis.
June 2024
Data Analysis with R Programming
Google (Coursera)
Statistical computing, data wrangling with tidyverse/dplyr, publication-quality data visualization with ggplot2, and data-driven analysis workflows.
March 2024
Research Internship Program Cohort 4.0
CHIRAL Bangladesh
Hands-on computational genomics, vaccine informatics, sequence alignment, molecular docking simulations, and academic research methodology.