Zahoor Ahmad Parray, PhD

Dr. Zahoor Ahmad Parray is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bio-Sciences and Technology at Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be) University, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India. He earned his Ph.D. and completed postdoctoral research in the field of Biological Sciences, with a primary focus on protein folding and dynamics.

His research interests span a broad spectrum, including protein-drug interactions, macromolecular crowding, protein engineering using co-solutes and crowders, and proteinopathies. Currently, Dr. Parray is leading a research project titled: Understanding the Structural-Functional Flexibility and Aggregation Propensity of some Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. This project, for the first time, aims to: (i) identify specific osmolytes and crowding agents capable of inhibiting the aggregation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and their mutant forms; and (ii) discover molecules with the potential to solubilize aggregated IDPs, thereby contributing to the development of novel therapeutic interventions for protein misfolding-related diseases. The study explores innovative strategies for targeting misfolded proteins in a therapeutic context.

Dr. Parray has been the recipient of several prestigious fellowships and awards, including the National Postdoctoral Fellowship (NPDF) from DST-SERB, the Senior Research Fellowship from ICMR, the Research Associate position, and the DHR-Young Scientist Award from the Department of Health Research (DHR). His academic contributions are reflected in multiple peer-reviewed publications in reputed scientific journals.

Some of the Publications from his list include:

1. Parray, Z. A., Ahmad, S., Ahmad F., Hassan M. I., and Islam A. “First evidence of the formation of pre-molten globule state in myoglobin: A macromolecular crowding approach towards protein folding in vivo”. International Journal of Biological Macromolecule, (2019) 126, 1288–1294.

2. Parray, Z.A., Ahmad, F., Chaudhary, A.S., Rudayni, HA., Al-Zharani, M., AlSalamah, S.A., Hassan, M.I., and Islam, A. Size-dependent interplay of volume exclusion versus soft interactions: cytochrome c in a macromolecular crowded environment., Frontier in Molecular Sciences (2022), 9, 849683.

3. Parray, Z.A., Ahmad, F., M. I., Alajmi, M., Hussain, A., Hassan, M.I., Islam., A., “Interaction of polyethylene glycol with cytochrome c investigated via various in vitro and in silico approaches”. Scientific Reports, (2021), 11, 6475.

4. Parray, Z. A., Hamza, A., Bhardwaj, P., Samad., A, Hassan, M.I., Parveen, S., Islam, A. “Interaction studies of recombinant laccase with co-solutes: using various spectroscopic, calorimetric and in silico approaches”. Journal of Molecular Liquids, (2023) 388: 122769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2023.122769.

5. Parray, Z. A. “A review on evolution, structural characteristics, interactions, and regulation of the membrane transport protein: The family of Rab proteins”. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. (2025), 296: 139828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.139828.