Dr. Nasir Riaz (PhD Virology) Biography

Dr. Mohammed Nasir Riaz is a distinguished academic and researcher with expertise in the molecular biology of viral infections and diagnostics. Since January 2012, he has been serving as a Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology. Dr. Nasir earned his Ph.D. in 2021 at the Kirby Institute, UNSW, Sydney, as part of the Viral Immunology Systems Project, funded by the Australian Government (NHMRC Australia and UNSW). His doctoral research focused on whole-genome sequencing of RNA viruses to explore within-host viral evolution, characterize viral variants at the quasi-species level, analyze antiviral drug resistance, and investigate virus-host immune interactions for effective vaccine development. His notable contributions include the development of rapid, highly sensitive, and cost-effective methodologies for sequencing entire genomes of Dengue and HCV, later adapted for sequencing COVID-19 genomes during the pandemic. Dr. Nasir’s academic career is underscored by his significant contributions during his M.Phil. in Virology and Immunology, where he participated in national and international projects on the molecular virology and epidemiology of Dengue and Hepatitis (HCV, HBV, and HDV). Prior to his academic appointment, he served as a Research Officer at a Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory from 2009 to 2011, where he played a crucial role in establishing the lab and optimizing molecular diagnostic tests. His outstanding contributions to virology and molecular diagnostics have earned him several prestigious accolades, including: The Australian Commonwealth University International Postgraduate Award, collectively valued at over $300,000. The School of Medical Sciences Ph.D. Award from UNSW. The Young Scientist of the Year 2019 in Molecular Diagnostics Award from the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology Research (ACH2). Following the successful completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Nasir resumed his academic role at HU in 2022. He remains committed to advancing the field of molecular diagnostics and virology through innovative research. His work continues to shape the development of diagnostic tools and effective vaccine strategies against life-threatening viruses worldwide.

Academic Background

S.No	Degree Title	Institute	Degree Completion Year
1	B.Sc (Hons) Microbiology	Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hazara University, Mansehra	2008
2	M.Phil (Virology & Immunology)	Atta ur Rehman School of Applied Bio-Sciences, NUST, Islamabad	2011
3	Doctorate (PhD) in Molecular Virology and Immunology / Diagnostics	The Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW, Sydney	2021

Publications

S.No	Publication Title	Authors	Action
1	PCR-Based Molecular Diagnosis of Hepatitis Virus (HBV and HDV) in HCV Infected Patients and Their Biochemical Study	• Riaz MN, Faheem M, Anwar MA, Raheel U, Badshah Y, Akhtar H, Tamanna K, Tahir M, Sadaf Zaidi NuS, Qadri I	Click to View
2	A molecular evaluation of dengue virus pathogenesis and its latest vaccine strategies	• Faheem M, Raheel U, Riaz MN, Kanwal N, Javed F, Qadri I	Click to View
3	Medicinal Plants: A Repository of Antiviral Metabolites	• Hussain W, Haleem K S, Khan I, Tauseef I, Qayyum S, Ahmed B & Riaz MN.	Click to View
4	Dengue fever in the Indian Subcontinent: an overview.	• Raheel U, Faheem M, Riaz MN, Kanwal N, Javed F, Qadri I	Click to View
5	The first patient with hepatitis C genotype 8 infection in Australia	• Crawford L C, Whybrow D, Rodrigo C,Riaz N, Higgins G	Click to View
6	A single nested PCR method for full length dengue virus genome amplification followed by long read next generation sequencing	Rodrigo C, Adhikari T, Riaz N, Sigera PC, Bull R, Luciani F, Fernando SD, Rajapakse S, Weeratunga P, Fink K, Lloyd A	Click to View
7	Whole genome long read sequencing of hepatitis C virus and its applications	Muhammad Nasir Riaz1, Preston Leung1, Rowena Bull1, Kirston Barton2, Martin Smith2, Andrew Lloyd1, Chaturaka Rodrigo1	Click to View
8	Single molecule, near full-length genome sequencing of dengue virus	Adikari TN, Riaz N, Sigera C, Leung P, Valencia BM, Barton K, Smith MA, Bull RA, Li H, Luciani F et al	Click to View
9	Adaptation of Oxford Nanopore technology for hepatitis C whole genome sequencing and identification of within-host viral variants	Riaz N, Leung P, Barton K, Smith MA, Carswell S, Bull R, Lloyd AR, Rodrigo C	Click to View
10	Evolution of within-host variants of the hepatitis C virus	Riaz N, Leung P, Bull RA, Lloyd AR, Rodrigo C	Click to View
11	Insights into the genetic characteristics, clustering patterns, and phylogeographic dynamics of the JC polyomavirus, 1993 to 2023	Pir Tariq Shah, Mohammad Ejaz, Kosar Tamanna, Muhammad Nasir Riaz, Zhenyong Wu, Chengjun Wu	Click to View