Profile for Md Kausar Raza
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Md Kausar Raza
Assistant Professor
Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Md Kausar Raza
Assistant Professor
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Specialty area(s)
(Bio)Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Metalloenzymes, Metallocofactors in Viral Diseases, Electrochemistry, Metals in Medicine and Biology
Brief biography
Dr. Md Kausar Raza is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL). This fall, he will be teaching General Chemistry Laboratory (CHM 103).
His research focuses on metalloproteins and metal complexes in the fields of biology and medicine. Current projects include studies of iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters in enzymes and the synthesis and characterization of inorganic metal complexes with applications in photodynamic immunotherapy.
Before joining UWL, Dr. Raza was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Haverford College and a Visiting Research Scientist at Brandeis University. He carried out postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology and later as an Eberly Research Fellow at Penn State University. He received his Ph.D. in (Bio)Inorganic Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and his M.Sc. and B.Sc. (Honors) in Chemistry from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
Current courses at UWL
General Chemistry Laboratory – CHM 103
Introductory laboratory course covering principles of measurement, structure, and reactivity. Offered every Fall and Spring.
Education
Ph.D. (Bio)Inorganic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India
M.Sc. Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
B.Sc. (Honors) Chemistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India
Career
Teaching history
Visiting Assistant Professor, Haverford College (2024-2025)
Professional history
Visiting Research Scientist, Brandeis University, MA
Postdoctoral Research Associate, California Institute of Technology, CA
Eberly Research Fellow, Penn State University, PA
Research and publishing
- Banaspati, B.; Das, A.; Sultana, J. P.; Raza, M. K.; Goswami, T. K. Mn(III) Porphyrins as Photosensitizers: Structural, Photophysical and Anticancer Studies. Dalton Trans. 2025, 54, 11743-11756. (co-corresponding author).
- Bag, G.; Musib, D.; Raza, M. K.; Castonguay, A.; Roy, M. Recent Advances on the Photo-Chemotherapeutic Potential of Manganese Carbonyl Complexes. Polyhedron 2024, 249, 116778.
- Maio, N.; Raza, M. K.; Li, Y.; Zhang, D.-L.; Bollinger, J. M., Jr.; Krebs, C.; Rouault, T. A. An Iron-Sulfur Cluster in the Zinc-Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Helicase Modulates Its RNA Binding and Unwinding Activities. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2023, 120, e2303860120. (Highlighted in NIH News).
- Salay+, L. E.; Blee+, A. M.; Raza+, M. K.; Gallagher, K. S.; Chen, H.; Dorfeuille, A. J.; Barton, J. K.; Chazin, W. J. Modification of the 4Fe-4S Cluster Charge Transport Pathway Alters RNA Synthesis by Yeast DNA Primase. Biochemistry 2022, 61, 1113-1123. (+Equal first author).
- Raza, M. K.*; Karges, J. (2025). Iron-Sulfur Clusters in Viral Diseases. In Encyclopedia of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry, R.A. Scott (Ed.). (Book Chapter).
- Raza, M. K.; Gautam, S.; Howlader, P.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Kondaiah, P.; Chakravarty, A. R. Pyriplatin-Boron-Dipyrromethene Conjugates for Imaging and Mitochondria-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy. Inorg. Chem. 2018, 57 , 14374-14385.
- Raza, M. K.; Gautam, S.; Garai, A.; Mitra, K.; Kondaiah, P.; Chakravarty, A. R. Monofunctional BODIPY-Appended Imidazoplatin for Cellular Imaging and Mitochondria-Targeted Photocytotoxicity. Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 11019-11029.
- Chakravarty, A. R.; Raza, M. K.; Gandhi, A.; Kondaiah, P. Platinum-Based Boron Dipyrromethene Compound and Method Thereof. Indian Patent 2021, Granted.