Associate Professor | Microbial Biochemist | Founder & Principal Investigator, HOPE Lab
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology · University of Chittagong · Chattogram 4331, Bangladesh
ORCID · Google Scholar · ResearchGate · Academia · LinkedIn · Loop · Institutional Profile · HOPE Lab
I am an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, a microbial biochemist, and the Founder and Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Health, Omics and Pathway Exploration (HOPE Lab). My research investigates microorganisms, microbial metabolites, biological pathways, and host–microbe–environment interactions at the intersection of microbial biochemistry, multi-omics, microbiology, ecology, and One Health.
I am particularly interested in how organisms interact, adapt, and produce functional molecules within biological and ecological systems. My work integrates biochemical, molecular, genetic, and omics-based approaches including genomics, glycomics, metabolomics, microbiome analysis, and bioinformatics, to connect genes and pathways with metabolites, phenotypes, microbial functions, and ecological processes.
A major focus of my research is the discovery and characterization of beneficial and functionally important microorganisms and their metabolites, including probiotics, exopolysaccharides, biosurfactants, pigments, antimicrobial compounds, and enzymes. These studies extend across food and nutrition, host health, agriculture, environmental biotechnology, and sustainable systems, with the broader aim of understanding biological mechanisms and translating microbial functions into solutions relevant to health, food safety, and environmental sustainability.
Microbial metabolism, biochemical pathways, enzymes, functional traits, and microbial physiology.
Glycans, glycoconjugates, N-glycan metabolism, and microbial carbohydrate utilization.
Exopolysaccharides, biosurfactants, pigments, antimicrobial compounds, enzymes, and other microbial products.
Lactic acid bacteria, fermented foods and beverages, probiotic characteristics, food preservation, and functional properties.
Beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms, zoonoses, phytopathogens, antimicrobial resistance, biofilms, and microbial interactions.
Microbial diversity, adaptation, host-associated communities, extreme environments, bioremediation, and stress-tolerant microorganisms.
Genomics, glycomics, metabolomics, microbiome analysis, functional genomics, sequence analysis, and pathway-based investigation.
My research is guided by three interconnected questions:
Which organisms, metabolites, and biological pathways support health and well-being?
Which organisms, biological compounds, and interactions create risks to health, food systems, agriculture, or the environment?
How can beneficial organisms, metabolites, and biological pathways be harnessed for food safety, plant health, biotechnology, and environmental sustainability?
My research brings together several areas of microbial biochemistry and molecular biology that are connected by a common interest in biological function. I study beneficial microorganisms, including probiotic lactic acid bacteria and plant-associated bacteria, as well as pathogenic and environmentally adapted microorganisms, including zoonotic organisms, phytopathogens, multidrug-resistant bacteria, and extremotolerant microbes. Across these systems, I investigate the biochemical pathways, functional traits, metabolites, and ecological interactions that shape microbial behavior.
Rather than treating these areas as isolated fields, I approach them as interconnected levels of biological investigation. A microbial phenotype can reflect underlying genes and metabolic pathways; those pathways can produce molecules that influence interactions with other organisms; and those interactions occur within ecological systems that shape microbial adaptation and function.
This perspective has led my research from fundamental glycobiology and microbial metabolism toward broader studies of microbial biochemistry, genomics, bioactive molecules, probiotics, food microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbial ecology, extremophiles, and One Health.
Glycobiology forms an important foundation of my scientific background. I completed my PhD through the RIKEN–Saitama University Joint Program in Japan, conducting research in the Glycometabolome Laboratory at RIKEN under the guidance of Dr. Tadashi Suzuki. My doctoral research focused on the catabolic pathways of glycoconjugates, including the metabolism of protein N-glycans in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, structural analysis of free N-glycans, and bacterial degradation of C-mannosyl tryptophan.
This work addressed fundamental questions about how complex carbohydrate-containing molecules are processed and degraded and how microorganisms participate in glycan metabolism. My publications from the RIKEN period include studies of free N-glycan structures in S. cerevisiae and bacterial communities capable of utilizing C-mannosyl tryptophan as a carbon source.
This background in glycobiology later developed into a broader interest in microbial metabolic pathways, glycoconjugate metabolism, microbial physiology, and biochemical function. It continues to inform my interest in understanding microorganisms at the molecular level while connecting biochemical mechanisms with broader biological and ecological processes.
A major part of my research focuses on understanding microorganisms through the combined perspectives of biochemistry, genetics, genomics, and metabolism.
I am particularly interested in microbial metabolites and functional molecules, including exopolysaccharides, biosurfactants, antimicrobial compounds, pigments, enzymes, and other bioactive products. These molecules are studied in relation to microbial physiology, interactions among microorganisms and hosts, and their potential relevance to health, food, agriculture, biotechnology, and environmental systems.
My research also integrates genome sequencing, comparative analysis, functional genomics, and bioinformatics to connect observable microbial characteristics with their underlying genetic and metabolic basis. One example is my work on Limosilactobacillus fermentum LAB-1, in which genome analysis was used to examine metabolic, probiotic, and biotechnological characteristics of a lactic acid bacterium associated with the traditional Bangladeshi fermented beverage borhani.
This combination of experimental biochemistry, microbiology and genomic analysis allows microbial traits to be investigated at several complementary levels – from individual biochemical activities and metabolites to genes, pathways, phenotypes, and broader microbial functions.
A significant part of my research is devoted to probiotics and food-associated microorganisms, with particular interest in lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional and natural food sources. My work examines characteristics relevant to microbial antagonism, probiotic function, gut adaptation, food preservation, functional foods, and nutritional microbiology. The research has included probiotic and potentially beneficial bacteria associated with Bangladeshi foods and beverages such as borhani, laban, mattha, sugarcane juice, and natural honey.
Traditional and locally consumed foods provide an important source of microbial diversity and offer opportunities to study microorganisms in the context of real food systems. I am particularly interested in how naturally occurring microbial communities and individual strains can be characterized in terms of their physiological, biochemical, probiotic, and technological properties.
This area increasingly connects with a One Health perspective, in which human, animal, plant, food, and environmental health are considered interconnected. Recent research on lactic acid bacteria from sugarcane juice, for example, has examined probiotic properties together with characteristics associated with gut adaptation, food preservation, and food quality.
Alongside research on beneficial microorganisms, I investigate microbial pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). My research interests include foodborne and zoonotic organisms, phytopathogens, multidrug-resistant bacteria, antimicrobial-resistance phenotypes and genes, biofilms, and microbial interactions. I am particularly interested in understanding microbial behavior within the broader context of health, food systems, agriculture, and the environment.
Another component of this work is the investigation of naturally occurring microbial products, including antimicrobial compounds, bacteriocins, exopolysaccharides, biosurfactants, and other functional molecules, together with approaches used to evaluate antimicrobial activity.
Taken together, these research directions place antimicrobial research within a broader investigation of microbial interactions, pathogen biology, and One Health, rather than treating antimicrobial activity as an isolated laboratory property.
My research also extends into microbial ecology and environmental biology, with an interest in how the organisms adapt, interact, and persist across diverse habitats. This includes communities associated with animal guts, plant rhizospheres, fermented foods, oil-contaminated environments, and habitats exposed to strong environmental stresses. I am particularly interested in microbial adaptation to challenging conditions and in the relationship between environmental selection and functional traits.
Our research on alkalitolerant bacteria from anthropogenic alkaline niches has examined microbial survival under strong alkaline stress and the occurrence of useful biochemical properties, including alkaline-active enzymes. Research on microorganisms from oil-contaminated environments has also focused on biosurfactant-producing bacteria and their relevance to bioremediation and oil-related applications. These studies contribute to a broader interest in microbial ecophysiology, microbial diversity, environmental adaptation, and the discovery of biological functions from underexplored habitats.
My research combines experimental and computational approaches to connect biological phenotype with molecular function. Depending on the research question, these approaches include:
Microbial isolation and characterization · Biochemical assays · Genome sequencing · Comparative genomics · Functional genomics · Glycomics · Metabolomics · Microbiome analysis · Sequence analysis · Pathway annotation · Bioinformatics
The aim is not simply to generate molecular data, but to connect different levels of biological information. Genes provide a basis for potential function; metabolic pathways connect genes with biochemical activity; metabolites and other microbial products provide measurable outcomes; and ecological context helps explain how those functions operate within biological systems. This integrated approach allows research to move between genes, pathways, molecules, phenotypes, microbial communities, and environmental context, while maintaining a focus on experimentally testable biological mechanisms.
I am the Founder and Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Health, Omics and Pathway Exploration (HOPE Lab) at the University of Chittagong. HOPE Lab brings together microbial biochemistry, microbiology, ecology, and omics sciences to investigate organisms, biological pathways, and functional molecules relevant to health, food systems, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. Our research is organized around a continuous discovery-to-impact framework:
1H → 2O → 3P → 4E
One Health → Organisms · Omics → Pathways · Probiotics · Protection → Ecology · Environment · Evolution · Emergence
The framework reflects how we connect biological systems, molecular investigation, functional pathways, beneficial microorganisms, ecological context, and broader system-level outcomes.
Associate Professor · 2022–present
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Assistant Professor · 2017–2022
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Lecturer · 2014–2017
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
International Program Associate · Glycometabolome Team · 2012–2015
My association with the Glycometabolome Team at RIKEN formed an important part of my scientific development and provided the research environment in which I pursued my doctoral work in glycobiology.
Square Toiletries Ltd. · Production Department
ACI Pharmaceuticals Ltd. · Quality Assurance Department
These professional experiences provided additional perspectives on laboratory practice, quality systems, production, and the relationship between scientific knowledge and applied work.
RIKEN–Saitama University Joint Program, Japan
Glycometabolome Laboratory, RIKEN
Supervisor: Dr. Tadashi Suzuki
My doctoral research investigated glycoconjugate catabolism, free N-glycan structures, N-glycan metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and bacterial utilization of C-mannosyl tryptophan.
University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
I teach microbiology, spectroscopy, natural products, and related subjects in biochemistry and molecular biology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
I also supervise undergraduate, master's, and doctoral research in areas including microbial biotechnology, probiotics, biocatalysis, functional metabolites, microbial ecology, plant–microbe interactions, glycotechnology, and omics-based research.
Research training is an important part of my academic work. In supervising students, I emphasize research integrity, critical thinking, experimental design, scientific communication, and independent inquiry. My aim is to help students develop the scientific knowledge, research skills, and intellectual independence needed to pursue meaningful research careers in academia and beyond. Through HOPE Lab, research training is closely associated with hands-on laboratory work, scientific discussion, data interpretation, writing, presentation, and collaborative research.
For me, research has two closely connected purposes: to understand biological systems and to help people grow through the process of discovery. Scientific questions motivate my work, but so does the opportunity to work with students as they develop their skills, confidence, and independence. I hope that the experience of research – learning to ask questions, design experiments, interpret evidence, communicate ideas, and persist through uncertainty – will benefit my students not only in their scientific careers but also in their lives beyond the laboratory.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, npj Science of Food, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Current Microbiology, Applied Food Biotechnology, Biologia, Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences, Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, Scientific Reports, and others.
Discover Biotechnology
International Journal of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
The publication list below represents selected research outputs across major areas of my scientific work.
Samaras, A., Hossain, T. J., Karlsson, M., & Tzelepis, G. (2026). Functional and transcriptomic analyses in Neurospora crassa reveal a crucial role for the N-glycoprotein deglycosylation process in fungal homeostasis. The FEBS Journal. DOI →
Hossain, T. J., Manabe, S., Ito, Y., Iida, T., Kosono, S., Ueda, K., Hosomi, A., Inoue, D., & Suzuki, T. (2018). Enrichment and characterization of a bacterial mixture capable of utilizing C-mannosyl tryptophan as a carbon source. Glycoconjugate Journal, 35(2), 165–176. DOI →
Hossain, T. J., Harada, Y., Hirayama, H., Tomotake, H., Seko, A., & Suzuki, T. (2016). Structural analysis of free N-glycans in α-glucosidase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: lack of the evidence for the occurrence of catabolic α-glucosidase acting on the N-glycans. PLoS ONE, 11(3), e0151891. DOI →
Tzelepis, G., Hosomi, A., Hossain, T. J., Hirayama, H., Dubey, M., Jensen, D. F., Suzuki, T., & Karlsson, M. (2014). Endo-β-N-acetylglucosamidases (ENGases) in the fungus Trichoderma atroviride: possible involvement of the filamentous fungi-specific cytosolic ENGase in the ERAD process. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 449(2), 256–261. DOI →
Mishi, N. T., Hossain, T. J., Ali, F., Das, T., Dhar, K., & Nafiz, I. H. (2023). Antioxidant, antimicrobial and emulsification properties of exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria of bovine milk: insights from biochemical and genomic analysis. LWT, 186, 115263. DOI →
Hossain, T. J. (2023). Genome-sequence, annotation and phylogenetic insights of the lactic acid bacterium Limosilactobacillus fermentum strain LAB1 obtained from the dairy beverage borhani. Acta Scientiarum Biological Sciences, 45, e62205. DOI →
Hossain, T. J. (2022). Functional genomics of the lactic acid bacterium Limosilactobacillus fermentum LAB-1: metabolic, probiotic and biotechnological perspectives. Heliyon, 8, e11412. DOI →
Islam, S., Hossain, T. J., Afrin, S., Paul, S., Bappi, M. S. H., Ali, F., & Ferdouse, J. (2026). Multifunctional lactic acid bacteria from sugarcane juice with probiotic properties for gut adaptation, health benefits, food preservation and quality enhancement. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 9994. DOI →
Hossain, T. J., Khan, M. S., & Ferdouse, J. (2024). Fermented and dairy beverages of Bangladesh: a rich source of probiotic lactic acid bacteria. Food Science and Applied Biotechnology, 7(2). DOI →
Paul, S., Hossain, T. J., Ali, F., Hossain, M. E., Chowdhury, T., Faisal, I. K., & Ferdouse, J. (2024). Assessment of the in-vitro probiotic efficacy and safety of Pediococcus pentosaceus L1 and Streptococcus thermophilus L3 isolated from laban, a popular fermented milk product. Archives of Microbiology, 206, 82. DOI →
Ferdouse, J., Paul, S., Chowdhury, T., Ali, F., Islam, S., & Hossain, T. J. (2023). Probiotic characteristics of Pediococcus pentosaceus and Apilactobacillus kunkeei strains: the lactic acid bacteria isolated from Bangladeshi natural honey. Applied Food Biotechnology, 10(1), 33–45. DOI →
Rahman, M.A., Taher, A., Hasan, Z., Khan, M.S., Nafiz, I.H., Hossain, T.J., Alam, M.K., Chowdhury, M.H., Aravamudhan, S. (2024). Comparative evaluation of different sol–gel processed M-type barium hexaferrite on structural and antimicrobial efficacy. Next Bioengineering, 3, 100047. DOI →
Tarannum, N., Ali, F., Khan, M. S., Alhumaidan, O. S., Zawad, A. N. M. S., & Hossain, T. J. (2024). Bioactive exopolysaccharide from Limosilactobacillus fermentum LAB-1: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre, 31, 100409. DOI →
Ali, F., Das, S., Hossain, T. J., Chowdhury, S. I., Zedny, S. A., Das, T., & Chowdhury, M. N. A. (2021). Production optimization, stability and oil emulsifying potential of biosurfactants from selected bacteria isolated from oil-contaminated sites. Royal Society Open Science, 8, 211003. DOI →
Hossain, T. J., Chowdhury, S. I., Mozumder, H. A., Chowdhury, M. N. A., Ali, F., Rahman, N., & Dey, S. (2020). Hydrolytic exoenzymes produced by bacteria isolated and identified from the gastrointestinal tract of Bombay duck. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, 2097. DOI →
Chowdhury, M. N. A., Hossain, T. J., Zedny, S. A., Bappi, M. S. H., Rahman, M., Nafiz, I. H., & Islam, R. (2024). Multifaceted plant growth promoting traits and abiotic stress resistance abilities exhibited by chrysanthemum rhizobacteria. Current Applied Science and Technology, 24(5). DOI →
Basharat, T., Ali, F., Das, T., Bakar, T. B., Mishi, N. T., Ferdouse, J., Uddin, M. S., & Hossain, T. J. (2023). Phosphate solubilizing rhizobacteria of rice: analysis of plant growth promoting activity and environmental stress tolerance. Annals of Agri-Bio Research, 28(2), 197–208. Article →
Hossain, T. J. (2024). Methods for screening and evaluation of antimicrobial activity: a review of protocols, advantages and limitations. European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology, 14(2), 97–115. DOI →
Hossain, T. J., Mozumder, H. A., Ali, F., & Akther, K. (2022). Inhibition of pathogenic microbes by the lactic acid bacteria Limosilactobacillus fermentum strain LAB-1 and Levilactobacillus brevis strain LAB-5 isolated from the dairy beverage borhani. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science, 10(3), 928–939. DOI →
Ali, F., Silvy, T. N., Hossain, T. J., Uddin, M. K., & Uddin, M. S. (2021). Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance phenotypes of Salmonella species recovered at various stages of broiler operations in Hathazari, Bangladesh. International Journal of One Health, 7(2), 158–164. DOI →
Rahman, T., Bappi, M. S. H., & Hossain, T. J. (2024). Prodigiosin demonstrates promising antiviral activity against dengue virus and Zika virus in in-silico study. Analytical Science Advances, 5(11–12). DOI →
Nafiz, I. H., Sultana, J., Akther, K., Khan, M. S., Hasan, S., Bappi, M. S. H., Rahman, T., et al. (2026). Anthropogenic alkaline niches as a habitat for alkalitolerant bacteria: taxonomy, ecophysiology, and biotechnologically relevant hydrolases. Preprint. More →
Nayem, T., Mostofa, G., & Hossain, T. J. (2026). From "GRAS to Grass": lactic acid bacteria as One Health probiotics for plant growth, bioremediation, soil quality, food safety, and public health. Preprint. More →
Rahman, T., & Hossain, T. J. (2025). Prodigiosin as a potential multi-target antidiabetic agent: molecular docking and dynamics simulations with type 2 diabetes-related proteins. Preprint. More →
Hossain, T. J. (2025). Genome analysis of Pantoea dispersa PGPR-24 reveals key genetic pathways for plant growth promotion, root colonization and nutrient mobilization. Preprint. More →
Zawad, A. N. M. S., Hossain, T. J., Ahmed, M. M., Islam, N., Uddin, I., Chowdhury, M. R. H., et al. (2025). Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria enhance root and shoot growth and biomass production in chrysanthemum: evidence from pot and field experiments. Preprint. More →
Hossain, T. J., Hossain, S., Nafiz, I. H., Islam, R., & Khan, M. S. (2024). Metagenomic analysis of bacterial diversity and community in date palm sap: dominance of Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus and Zymomonas. Preprint. More →
View the complete publication record on Google Scholar →
I investigate lactic acid bacteria from traditional foods and beverages and their biological and functional properties in contexts that extend beyond conventional probiotic research. Current interests include food-associated microorganisms, gut adaptation, food preservation, plant-associated applications, and broader One Health connections.
Current work includes exopolysaccharides, pigments, biosurfactants, antimicrobial compounds, and enzymes, with an interest in understanding their biochemical properties, biological functions, and potential relevance to food, health, agriculture, and environmental biotechnology.
I investigate microbial diversity, adaptation, and function across gut, rhizosphere, fermented-food, alkaline, saline, and environmentally stressed habitats, combining culture-based and molecular approaches.
Research includes plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, root-associated microorganisms, nutrient mobilization, stress tolerance, and microbial traits relevant to sustainable agricultural systems.
I use genome sequencing, comparative genomics, functional genomics, glycomics, metabolomics, microbiome analysis, and bioinformatics to investigate relationships between genes, pathways, metabolites, phenotypes, and microbial functions.
Research includes foodborne and zoonotic pathogens, antimicrobial susceptibility, resistance patterns, biofilms, pathogen biology, and biologically based approaches relevant to microbial control and food safety.
I am interested in a simple but broad scientific query:
How do organisms function, interact, and adapt within the systems they inhabit?
My research approaches this question from complementary levels – from glycans and metabolic pathways to genomes, metabolites, microbial communities, and ecological interactions. This perspective connects fundamental biochemistry with microbiology, biotechnology, food systems, agriculture, environmental science, and One Health.
I see these areas not as separate research topics, but as connected perspectives for understanding biological function. The same microorganism can be studied as a biochemical system, a source of metabolites, a member of a microbial community, a partner or antagonist in a biological interaction, or an organism adapting to a particular ecological environment.
Through this integrated perspective, I aim to build research that remains grounded in fundamental biological mechanisms while contributing knowledge relevant to health, food, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.
My research and academic activities can be explored through the following scholarly and professional platforms:
ORCID – Persistent researcher identifier and publication record
Google Scholar – Publications, citations, and scholarly metrics
ResearchGate – Research profile and publications
Academia.edu – Academic profile and selected papers
LinkedIn – Professional and academic network
Frontiers / Loop – Researcher profile and scholarly network
University of Chittagong Institutional Profile – Official university profile
HOPE Lab – Laboratory website, research themes, projects, publications, preprints, and activities
Dr. Tanim Jabid Hossain, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of Chittagong
Chattogram 4331, Bangladesh
Email:
tanim.bmb@gmail.com
tanim.j.hossain@cu.ac.bd
Research:
HOPE Lab | Laboratory for Health, Omics and Pathway Exploration
Connecting biological pathways that sustain life, health and environmental resilience.
