Postdoctoral Researcher in Computational Pathology  ·  Humanitas Research Hospital (IRCCS), Milan

Hi, I'm Rashid Hussain

Computational chemist and bioinformatician with a strong foundation in molecular modelling and virtual screening — structure-based and ligand-based approaches, docking, and hit identification. Currently applying computational imaging analysis to digital pathology: processing Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) and spatial omics data to map the tumour microenvironment and extract spatially resolved biomarkers. Experienced in machine learning and multi-omics integration (RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, scRNA-seq) and in building reproducible, AI-driven computational pipelines in Python, R, and Bash.

  • Spatial omics, Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) & tumour microenvironment modelling
  • Structure-based virtual screening & computational drug discovery
  • Molecular dynamics simulations & free-energy profiling
  • QSAR & machine learning for bioactivity and ADMET prediction
  • Multi-omics data integration (RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, scRNA-seq)
  • Reproducible & scalable computational pipelines
Ph.D. Chemistry RSci MRSC Global Talent — Royal Society UK
Rashid Hussain, Ph.D.
12+
Publications
10+
Key Projects
7
Research Areas
12+
Years Experience

Technical Skills

A multidisciplinary toolkit spanning computational biology, cheminformatics, machine learning, and data science.

Python92%
Bioinformatics Pipelines88%
Linux / HPC88%
Machine Learning (Scikit-learn, Pandas)85%
R Programming82%
GROMACS / AMBER (MD Simulation)80%
RDKit / Cheminformatics78%
MATLAB75%
Statistical Analysis85%
Cloud Computing / Git75%

Experience & Education

Over a decade of research spanning computational drug discovery, bioinformatics, and AI — across academia and industry.

Work Experience

Jan 2026 – Present
Postdoctoral Researcher – Computational Pathology
Humanitas Research Hospital (IRCCS)  ·  Milan, Italy
Supporting development of the Sarcoma Microenvironment Score (SMS), an AI-based predictive and prognostic tool. Building computational pipelines for microenvironment feature extraction and data integration. Performing statistical and ML analyses for model evaluation.
Jul 2025 – Present
Visiting Scientist
University of Manchester  ·  UK (Remote)
Extending VSpipe for molecular docking; investigating resistance mechanisms in fungal pathogens through structural bioinformatics; performing genome annotation for collagen identification and developing a Python web framework for annotating jellyfish collagen sequences.
Jul 2023 – May 2025
Bioinformatician
Ayass BioScience LLC  ·  TX, USA (Remote)
Developed a pipeline to fetch drug-related data from public databases via APIs. Integrated agentic AI to automate processes and minimise human intervention. Applied bioinformatics and ML techniques for transcriptome analysis.
Nov 2022 – May 2023
Software Developer (Contractor)
Deep Waters LLC  ·  NY, USA (Remote)
Developed a PyMOL plugin for analysing water thermodynamics using Grid Inhomogeneous Solvation Theory (GIST) via AMBER MD simulations. Deployed a QSAR model for predicting bioactivity against Receptor Tyrosine Kinase.
Jan 2022 – Jun 2022
Visiting Postgraduate Researcher (IRSIP Fellow)
University of Manchester  ·  UK
Developed VSpipe — a cross-platform Python-based application for virtual screening and hit selection — at Prof. Tabernero's lab. Deployed on Mac, Linux and Windows. Published in Int. J. Mol. Sci. (2024). Funded by HEC Pakistan (£6,250 + return tickets).
Feb 2016 – Dec 2019
Research Assistant
A.Z. Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd.  ·  Pakistan
Finalised a structure-based drug design pipeline and modelled pharmacophores using ligand-based approaches. Secured cGMP certification from the drug regulatory authority. Advanced HEC-funded industry-university R&D partnerships.
Feb 2015 – Jan 2016
Research Associate
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)  ·  Pakistan
Designed the GUI for the MATLAB-based SPECTRUM toolbox and contributed to the intact mass tuner algorithm. Published in Scientific Reports – Nature. Developed a ligand-based pharmacophore for HCV. Managed lab operations as Lab Chief.
Jun 2014 – Jan 2015
Research Intern
National Center of Bioinformatics, Quaid-e-Azam University  ·  Pakistan
Proteomics research and bioinformatics tool development. Gained hands-on experience in experimental techniques including zebrafish models for biological assays.

Education

Aug 2017 – Mar 2023
Ph.D. Chemistry  · Magna Cum Laude
Forman Christian College (A Chartered University)  ·  Lahore, Pakistan
Computational Chemistry, Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics & Software Development. Awarded Higher Honors (Magna Cum Laude).
Sep 2011 – Jun 2013
M.S. Bioinformatics
COMSATS University Islamabad  ·  Pakistan
Bioinformatics, Bash Scripting, Cheminformatics.
Sep 2006 – Jul 2010
B.S. Bioinformatics
COMSATS University Islamabad  ·  Pakistan
Bioinformatics and Phylogenetic data analysis.

Awards & Recognition

Global Talent Endorsement
Royal Society, UK · 2025
Registered Scientist (RSci)
Science Council, UK · 2025
Intellectual Property — BIOPREDICT
IP Organisation of Pakistan · 2023
Intellectual Property — MDSimulator
IP Organisation of Pakistan · 2023
Member (MRSC)
Royal Society of Chemistry · 2023 – Present
Member
American Chemical Society · 2022 – Present
Certified Carpentries Instructor
The Carpentries, USA · 2022 – Present
IRSIP Research Fellowship
HEC Pakistan · University of Manchester · 2022 · £6,250 + return tickets
Best Poster Award
Forman Christian College, Sep 2022
Best Poster Award
Institute of Space Technology (IST), Feb 2015
Marathon Race Winner
LUMS, 2015

Peer Review

Molecular Diversity — Springer Nature · 2022
Int. J. Biological Macromolecules — Elsevier · 2023
RSC Advances — Royal Society of Chemistry · 2023
Scientific Reports — Springer Nature · 2023
BMC Chemistry & In Silico Pharmacology — Springer Nature · 2023
Discover Chemistry & BMC Immunology — Springer Nature · 2024–2026

Selected Publications

12+ peer-reviewed publications and preprints in computational biology, drug discovery, bioinformatics, and AI.

2026 · Preprint

Vessel Spatial Analysis (VeSpA): A Tool for Whole Slide Image Segmentation, Morphometry, and QuPath Extension

Grion G., Hussain R., Colella F.E., Roufail K., Uccella S., Frapolli R., Matteo C., Mintemur Ö., Pennati F., Renne S.L.

Preprint — DOI: 10.64898/2026.06.15.732366

View preprint
2024

VSpipe-GUI: An Interactive Graphical User Interface for Virtual Screening and Hit Selection

Hussain R., Hackett A.S., Álvarez-Carretero S., Tabernero L.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(4), 2002

DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042002
2023

Computational Medicinal Chemistry Applications to Target Asian-Prevalent Strain of Hepatitis C Virus

Hussain R., Haider Z., Khalid H., Fatmi M.Q., Carradori S., Cataldi A., Zara S.

RSC Advances, 13(43), 30052–30070

DOI: 10.1039/D3RA04622B
2022

HCV Genotype-Specific Drug Discovery Through Structure-Based Virtual Screening

Hussain R., Khalid H., Fatmi M.Q.

Pure and Applied Chemistry

DOI: 10.1515/pac-2021-1104
2021

Molecular Modelling of Serine Protease NS3-4A Genotype 3a as a Potential Drug Target of Hepatitis C Virus

Hussain R., Khalid H., Fatmi M.Q.

Journal of Computational Biophysics and Chemistry, 20(6), 631–639

Read full article
2020

Virtual Screening of Piperidine-Based Small Molecules Against COVID-19

Khalid H., Hussain R., Hafeez A.

Lab-in-Silico, 1(2), 49–58

DOI: 10.22034/lins20012050
2019

SPECTRUM: A MATLAB Toolbox for Proteoform Identification from Top-Down Proteomics Data

Basharat A.R., Iman K., Bibi Z., Hussain R., et al.

Scientific Reports — Nature, 9(1), 1–14

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47724-1
+6 more peer-reviewed publications  ·  View all on Google Scholar

Projects

Open-source tools and research software at the intersection of bioinformatics, cheminformatics, and machine learning.

VSpipe-GUI
Python · Bash · Molecular Docking

Interactive graphical interface for virtual screening and hit selection, running on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Covers receptor preparation, compound library prep, virtual screening, results visualization and filtering. Published in Int. J. Mol. Sci. (2025).

VSpipe-Agent
Python · ADK · AI Agents · Virtual Screening

AI agent built with Google's Agent Development Kit (ADK) for structure-based virtual screening — implements real Lipinski filtering and AutoDock Vina docking, adapted from VSpipe-GUI. Developed as a Kaggle 5-Day AI Agents capstone (Agents for Good).

VeSpA
Python · Computational Pathology · IMC

Vessel Spatial Analysis toolkit for imaging mass cytometry (IMC) data — developed at the Computational Pathology Lab, Humanitas Research Hospital, for spatial analysis of the tumor vasculature.

View Repository
imc-nextflow-pipeline
Nextflow · IMC · Reproducible Pipelines

Nextflow pipeline for automated, reproducible processing of imaging mass cytometry (IMC) data, from raw acquisition through to analysis-ready outputs. Built at the Computational Pathology Lab, Humanitas Research Hospital.

View Repository
Complete IMC Analysis Workflow
Python · IMC · Single-Cell Analysis

End-to-end workflow for imaging mass cytometry analysis — covering segmentation, cell phenotyping, and spatial statistics for multiplexed tissue imaging. Developed at the Computational Pathology Lab, Humanitas Research Hospital.

View Repository
BioPredict
Python · Machine Learning · Streamlit

ML-based QSAR web application predicting bioactivity against Receptor Tyrosine Kinase using ChEMBL data. Built with Scikit-learn, RDKit fingerprints, and Streamlit for interactive deployment. Co-developed with Yasir Waheed.

MD Simulator
Python · GROMACS · GUI

Python-based graphical interface for macromolecular simulations on GROMACS — automates preparation, solvation, ionization, energy minimization, and full MD simulation runs. Co-developed with Yasir Waheed.

SPECTRUM
MATLAB · Proteomics

A comprehensive MATLAB toolbox for proteoform identification from top-down proteomics data — statistical profiling, peptide analysis, and visualization. Published in Scientific Reports (Nature, 2019).

COVID-19 Bioactivity Predictor
Python · QSAR · Streamlit

QSAR model and Streamlit web application for predicting inhibitor potency against SARS-CoV-2 Replicase Polyprotein. Uses PubChem fingerprints and Random Forest for end-to-end bioactivity (pIC50) prediction.

PyMOL Script Repository
Python · PyMOL · Structural Biology

Collection of PyMOL scripts for structural analysis, visualisation, and automation — covering protein structure inspection, binding site analysis, and publication-quality molecular rendering.

Professional Activities

Teaching, training, certifications, memberships, and contributions to the scientific community.

Teaching & Training

Oct 2022 – Present
Certified Carpentries Instructor
The Carpentries, USA (Remote)
Delivered Software Carpentry workshops (Shell, Git, Python) internationally — Co-Instructor at University of Vermont (May 2025, 24h) and IRTA Spain (May 2025, 24h). Teaching Assistant at Brac University, Bangladesh (HPC, 64h, Oct 2021–Jan 2022).
Mar 2019 – Feb 2020
Visiting Faculty
Minhaj University  ·  Pakistan
Taught Bioinformatics — 30 lectures, 16 labs, wrote and graded exams.
Feb 2015 – Jan 2016
Teaching Assistant
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)  ·  Pakistan
Computational Biology (16 labs) and Protein Informatics (12 labs) — wrote and graded lab exams and assignments.
2020 – 2021
Online Tutorial Series (Outreach)
YouTube / Self-Published
Created and published online tutorials covering: Managing References & Bibliography (Mendeley), Homology Modeling (MODELLER), and Computer-Aided Drug Design / Docking (AutoDock) — aimed at making computational tools accessible to early-career researchers.

Data Science & AI

Kaggle
kaggle.com/rashidbioinfo

Active on Kaggle with 5 badges. Completed the 5-Day AI Agents Intensive with Google (2025), producing a capstone agent (VSpipe-Agent) integrating AutoDock Vina with ADK for virtual screening. 1 published writeup.

View Kaggle Profile

Certifications & Credentials

Jun 2025
Registered Scientist (RSci)
Science Council, UK
Awarded after peer-reviewed assessment of professional competence and commitment to continuing professional development (CPD).
Oct 2022
Certified Carpentries Instructor
The Carpentries, USA
Certified to teach Software Carpentry workshops in Shell, Git, Python, and R — an internationally recognised instructor training programme.
Jul 2022
The Unix Workbench
Johns Hopkins University (Coursera)
Shell scripting, Linux command-line tools, and reproducible computing environments.
Jun 2022
What is Data Science?
IBM (Coursera)
Foundations of data science methodology and practice.
Jan 2020
Molecular Modeling in Drug Discovery
Schrödinger
Advanced training in structure-based drug design, molecular docking, and free-energy calculations using Schrödinger Suite.

Professional Memberships

Member (MRSC)
Royal Society of Chemistry · Oct 2023 – Present
Member (ACS)
American Chemical Society · May 2022 – Present
Certified Instructor
The Carpentries · Oct 2022 – Present

Tutorials & Outreach

Open-access video tutorial series on computational biology tools — aimed at making these techniques accessible to early-career researchers.

Managing References thumbnail  2 videos
Reference Management

Managing References & Bibliography

Hands-on webinar covering Mendeley setup through inserting and managing references and bibliography in theses and manuscripts.

Watch Series
Homology Modeling thumbnail  6 videos
Structural Bioinformatics

Homology Modeling with MODELLER

Step-by-step 5-part series on protein homology modeling using MODELLER — from sequence alignment to final model validation.

Watch Series
CADD Docking thumbnail  11 videos
Drug Discovery

Molecular Docking & CADD

Comprehensive 10-part series on computer-aided drug design and molecular docking using AutoDock Tools — from installation to results analysis.

Watch Series