Education
BSc Bioinformatics – Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST), Pakistan (2014-2018)
My undergraduate years were where it all began. I chose Bioinformatics, a field that sits at the crossroads of biology, computer science, mathematics, and statistics – and that mix was both the challenge and the appeal. Under the supervision of Professor Dr. Shaukat Iqbal Malik, a Professor of Molecular Biology and Cancer Cytogenetics at CUST, I completed my thesis titled “Proteome Analysis of HIV/AIDS & its Purposed Therapy for Cure.” It was my first real experience of using computational tools to ask biological questions, and it convinced me this was the direction I wanted to go.
MSc Bioinformatics – National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Pakistan (2020-2022)
At NUST, I went deeper into the computational side of biology. I worked under Dr. Yusra Sajid Kiani and Dr. Ishrat Jabeen, faculty members at the School of Interdisciplinary Engineering and Sciences (SINES) at NUST, formerly known as the Research Centre for Modelling and Simulation (RCMS). My thesis was titled “Modelling and Docking Simulation of Broadly Neutralizing Multispecific Antibodies for HIV-1.” This project introduced me properly to computational drug design – molecular docking, structural modelling, and the kind of work where biology and computing genuinely talk to each other.
MSc Biomedical Technology | Bioinformatics – Tampere University (TAU), Finland (2022-2025)
Moving to Finland for my second master’s was definitely a big move, and it turned out to be the right one. I joined the Computational Biology group at Tampere University, working under Professor Matti Nykter – Professor of Bioinformatics at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, and academic lead of TCSC. My thesis was titled “Enformer Prediction Performance Evaluation Leveraging Deep Learning to Interpret Genetic Variation in Prostate Cancer.” The project leveraged a deep learning sequence-based model named Enformer to analyse the influence of genetic variants – especially those in the non-coding regulatory regions of the genome such as promoters and enhancers – on gene expression in prostate cancer. The non-coding genome constitutes nearly 98% of our DNA, and a majority of it remains largely enigmatic. Deep learning methods are starting to alter the scenario, and I was thrilled to be involved in that dialogue, even if it was in a minor way.
What’s Next
Here I am, expressing my desire to pursue a PhD in Finland. The research environment here – the infrastructure, and the culture of open scientific collaboration – all fit perfectly with the direction I envision for my work.
What I Want to Work On
My interests cover both aspects of the lab bench. On the computational side, I’m quite eager in translational bioinformatics particularly working with next-gen sequencing data like RNA-seq, DNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, and using multi-omics approaches to integrate these different data types. I like the idea of computational drug discovery too. Methods such as virtual screening, molecular docking, and other structure-based approaches are highly fascinating to me because they link the understanding at the molecular level to actual therapeutic opportunity. Machine learning and AI have been gaining prominence in addressing biological problems, and this is the main area where I wish to enhance my skills either by creating novel computational algorithms or optimizing the existing ones. Being a wet lab person as well, I wish to keep my connection to experimental biology. Cell culturing, protein characterization, microscopy, and structural biology, etc. are some of the techniques I am interested in. However, I am most attracted to situations where computational and experimental work merge because it is at that junction that complex biological questions can be transformed into practical, testable hypotheses and it is in that space where I aim to make a contribution.
Outside the Lab
When I am not working, most probably you’ll find me either playing football or table tennis, strumming the guitar, composing poems, or playing chess. Besides that, I also love bowling, horse riding, martial arts, and computer games. Research is great for mental stimulation – the other activities are excellent for maintaining overall balance.