Department of Bioinformatics & Biosciences
Dr. Sahar Fazal
Dr. Sahar Fazal is a Professor at department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences. Since 2005, Dr. Sahar Fazal has been actively contributing to CUST. She earned her PhD in Molecular Entomology from South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, China. Following that, she pursued her Post doc in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Sussex, England. For over a decade, she has been engaged in the field of education, and her teaching abilities are well-received by students. Dr. Sahar’s research focuses on Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, Entomology, Microbiology and Phylogenetics. She has established international connections with various universities globally. Her scientific findings have been published in well-regarded international journals and presented at diverse international forums. Additionally, she serves as a reviewer for several international journals and has authored multiple book chapters.
Dr. S. Marriam Bakhtiar
She completed her Ph.D. in Biotechnology with a specialization in Human Molecular Genetics. Later, she delved into the domains of Bioinformatics and Sequence Analysis. Her primary research interests encompass the molecular understanding of inherited diseases/disorders and infectious diseases, particularly those more prevalent in Pakistan. Recognizing Pakistan’s high prevalence of consanguineous marriages, she is passionately committed to providing low-cost genetic screening and prenatal diagnosis to make a meaningful impact. She has successfully established prenatal diagnosis and genetic screening for beta-thalassemia and is currently extending her work to Metabolic syndrome. Implementing integrated Molecular Genetics, Genomics, and computational approaches, she aims to unravel the complexities of inherited genetic diseases, characterize them at the molecular level, and devise strategies for control and prevention. In the field of infectious diseases, she focuses on the pathogen-host interaction, analyzing genomic data through sequencing. Given the significant number of deaths during nosocomial infections caused by multi drug-resistant opportunistic bacterial species, she directs her efforts toward discovering new drug targets and vaccine candidates in this challenging context.
Dr. Erum Dilshad
Her research is focused on Nanobiotechnology, producing metallic nanoparticles by chemical and biological methods involving a green chemistry approach. She evaluates these metallic nanoparticles for their anticancer properties against cancer cell lines, including breast and liver cancer. Research also involves producing both medicinal and edible crops transgenics to enhance secondary metabolites and tolerance against biotic and abiotic stress along with their phytochemical analysis. Furthermore, her research is focused on computer-aided drug designing and screening biomolecules for their activities and effectiveness against various ailments, including cancer. She has been enlisted in AD World Scientist Ranking and as a Productive Scientist of Pakistan in 2016 and 2017, under age 40 by the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology Pakistan (PCST). To date, she has a significant number of ISI-indexed publications, and the total impact factor is 100. She has authored 10 book chapters with internationally recognized publishers and a complete book with Bentham Publishers.
Dr. Arshia Amin Butt
Dr Arshia Amin has been working at CUST from last 6 years. Her research group “Environmental and Industrial Microbiology” has been working on molecular epidemiology and prevalence of antibiotics resistance genes in smog particulate matter; Implications on human health. Paleanbacteria and its AR genes present in air particulate matter 2.5 which could be inhaled were under consideration. This project has been successfully completed under NRPU-HEC grant. Second project is about “Resurrection bacteriology of glaciers”. After completing various studies related to this topic by MS students i.e., isolation of bacteria, characterization, identifications, antibiotic resistance patterns, seasonal shifts in psychochemical characteristics and metagenomic study of bacterial flora and resistome analysis data has been published. Third project is under completion and it includes “Microbially enhanced oil recovery. In collaboration with Ministry of petroleum this LCF-HEDP project is in the final phases and will be completed by June 2024. Additionally, my research group is also working on biofilm formation in sepsis areas of humans, its upregulation and downregulation of genes using genomic approaches. Secondary Infections causes, post-surgical complications, infection progression and mitigation will be worked on. Quorum quenching will be addressed as key process for mitigation of biofilms based secondary infections.
Dr. Sohail Ahmad Jan
He earned his PhD in Biotechnology in 2017. With over a decade of teaching and research experience, including more than six years post-PhD at institutions like Capital University of Science and Technology Islamabad, Hazara University Mansehra, Abasyn University Peshawar, and Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He also contributed six years to research at Pakistan’s National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, focusing on Biosciences. Having authored 104 publications in prestigious national and international journals with citation ¿2100, he holds an h-index of 27 and an i10-index of 51. Supervising 30 graduate and undergraduate students, his ongoing projects in Biotechnology, Genetics, and Microbiology showcase his expertise. Key achievements include securing an HEC funded SRGP Project for Canola genotypes, developing a drought-resistant transgenic tomato at NARC, and organizing farmer’s field days across Pakistan. Recognized for organizing the C-BICS international conference at CUST, he also served on the Board of Studies (BoS) in Biotechnology to enhance curriculum standards. His commitment extends to educating and training students and young researchers on biosafety, biosecurity, and dual-use concerns in Biotechnology.
Dr. Rizwan Ur Rehman
Dr. Rizwan-ur-Rehman is working as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences, Capital University of Science & Technology, Islamabad. He earned his PhD degree from Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China. He also earned two postgraduates in the domain of Genome aux organism, Nutrients Bioavailability from Universit´e de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Paris, France and Ecole Nationale Sup´erieure d’Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires, (ENSAIA) Universit´e de Lorraine, Nancy France. He has more than twenty years of industry, teaching and research experience. His main research areas include Textural and Structural profile studies, Isolation and Characterization of Health imparting phytochemicals and functional food product development, Proteolytic and lipolytic attributes of lactic acid bacteria, Relation of food properties and processing, Bioavailability of Nutrients and Gene Expression profile.
Dr. Sania Riaz
Dr. Sania Riaz is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan. She has completed her Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology with distinction from CEMB (Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology), University of the Punjab, Lahore. She is a motivated Research Professional holding a Ph.D. in Functional Genomics with extensive working experience in molecular research projects. She is a passionate academician and researcher from almost last two decades. Her research interests include working on diseased animal models, their determinants, drug development and expression profiling through cDNA and oligonucleotide microarray. She has been awarded TWAS fellowship during her PhD tenure at CEMB. During her Ph.D. project, she explored the potential of abiotic stressed genes and developed cDNA Library and submit to NCBI. To date she has many publications in HEC-recognized and internationally reputed journals. She has taught many courses in the domains of Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Allied Health Sciences at Undergraduate and Graduate levels, along with various administrative duties including Focal person ORIC, Member Quality Assurance Committee, Graduate Program Committee and Library management committee at CUST, Islamabad.
Dr. M. Asad Anwar
He completed his PhD in Biochemistry in 2020 at PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi. Throughout his doctoral studies, he was awarded the International Research Support Program (IRSP) scholarship by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, enabling him to conduct research at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PR China, for six months. In 2023, he joined the Department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences at Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, as an Assistant Professor. Currently, he is actively involved in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and he supervises research students at both BS and MS levels. His research focuses on the investigation of medicinal plants, along with the isolation, characterization, and biological evaluation of natural products for their preventive and therapeutic effects against chronic human diseases. He has made significant contributions, as evidenced by the publication of several research articles in international journals.
Dr. Sami Ullah Jan
Dr. Sami Ullah Jan’s passion has always been to elucidate the biochemical and molecular mechanisms occurring within plant cells that enable them to survive under diverse environmental conditions. This passion drove him to pursue a career in plant biotechnology. He earned a BS (Hons) in Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering from Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), an MS in Plant Biotechnology from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), and a PhD in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). In 2021, Dr. Sami Ullah Jan joined CUST as a Senior Lecturer. Prior to that, he served for more than 10 years in various roles at renowned educational, industrial, and research organizations. He utilizes cutting-edge techniques (wet and dry lab) to identify and functionally characterize novel genes, exploring their role in biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in plant-environment interactions. His work also focuses on novel strategies for bioremediation, phytoremediation, and plant-microbe interactions. Dr. Sami Ullah Jan’s lifelong ambition is to contribute to research advancing global food security—ensuring equitable access to adequate nutrition—and to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs), particularly SDG 2: Zero Hunger.
Mr. Irfan Zafar
Mr. Irfan Zafar is a certified Medical Professional with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology and a Master of Philosophy in Microbiology. With over five years of experience in academia, he also has international clinical experience in Saudi Arabia. His research interests primarily revolve around infectious diseases and various domains of microbiology, including virology, mycology, and parasitology. He is also passionate about research in nanotechnology, cancer diagnosis, and various disorders related to diagnostic pathology.
Ms. Shah Gull
Ms. Ayesha Aftab
Ms. Ayesha Aftab holds dual master's degrees in Bioinformatics and Biosciences from the Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad. She is currently an associate lecturer in the Department of Bioinformatics and Biosciences at the Capital University of Science and Technology. Her expertise in both fields makes her a valuable asset.
Ms. Taliha Ahmed
Ms. Sania Tabassum
Ms. Sania Tabassum is working as an associate lecturer at the Department of bioinformatics and biosciences, Capital University of Science and Technology (CUST). She holds a Master's degree in Biochemistry and has four years of research experience at National Agriculture Research Centre in the diagnosis and management of plant pathogens and edible Mushrooms cultivation.