Ph.D. Candidate · Organic Chemistry

Kazi Ruhullah
Shahriar

ROS-Responsive Systems · Drug Delivery · Boronate Chemistry

Designing molecules that respond to disease — not just disease broadly, but the precise oxidative chemistry it produces. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I build boronate-functionalized lipid systems that unlock drug release exactly where H₂O₂-rich microenvironments demand it.

Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Advisor: Dr. Michael Douglas Best
Expected Graduation: December 2026
UTK Three Minute Thesis — 3rd Place, 2025

Research Themes

Molecular design driven by biological relevance, validated through mechanistic rigor.

01

ROS-Responsive Lipid Systems for Controlled Release

Aryl boronate-functionalized lipids designed to respond selectively to H₂O₂ in oxidative disease microenvironments — enabling precision drug delivery in cancer and inflammation without off-target release.

02

Modular Synthetic Platform Development

Scalable synthetic routes for stimuli-responsive boronate molecules, built for structural tunability and reproducibility with pharmaceutical application in mind.

03

Fluorogenic & Mechanistic Assays

Integration of Nile Red fluorescence, dye-release kinetics, and biophysical analysis to connect molecular architecture with biological performance in liposomal formulations.

Academic Snapshot

Program
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry
Institution
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Expected
December 2026
Dissertation
ROS-Responsive Synthetic Systems for Biomedical Applications
Recognition
UTK 3MT 2025 — 3rd Place
Target Role
Faculty / R&D — Biomaterials & Drug Delivery