Mohammad Halim
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Office: Science Building Room 422
Lab: Science Building Room 371
370 Paulding Ave NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144
Email: mhalim1@kennesaw.edu
Phone: +1-470-578-6759
Research Group: halimlabs.org
Professional Affiliations:
Assistant Professor, Kennesaw State University, Georgia, USA | 2021-
Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, USA | 2019-2021
Post-Doctoral Associate, Carnegie Mellon University, USA | 2018-2019
Post-Doctoral Associate, Atomic Energy Commission, France | 2017-2018
Adjunct Researcher, The Red-Green Research Centre, Bangladesh | 2013-2021
Education:
PhD in Bioanalytical/Biophysical Chemistry | 2017
CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and Université Lyon 1, France
MSc in Computational Chemistry | 2012
Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
MSc in Analytical Chemistry | 2003
Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh
BSc (Honors) Major in Chemistry, Minor in Physics and Mathematics | 2001
Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh
Research:
Bioanalytical Chemistry: protein mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, solid phase peptide synthesis and purification, peptide and small molecules therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2, Dengue and Zika viruses; FRET-based biochemical assays; Alzheimer diseases; and anti-cancer therapeutics.
Environmental and Forensic Chemistry: Indentification of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and, and other enviromental pollutants and their interactions with skin melanin, plasma protein, eye proteins, estrogen and androgen receptors; Infrared and Raman spectroscopic characterization of forensic evidences such as hair, nail, hair gels and hair dyes.
Green Chemistry: Thermochemical and mechanochemical systhesis of deep eutectic solvents (DES) and thererapeutic deep eutectic solvents (THDES); Characterization of DES and THDES by mass spectrometry, spectroscopy (IR and Raman), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
Computational and Statistical Chemistry: Molecular dynamics for protein-drug, protein-peptide, drug-surfactants; virtual screening and molecular docking; protein homology modelling; peptide design and modelling; bioinformatics; quantum chemical and molecular mechanics simulaitons; principle component analysis (PCA) and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR).
Current Group Members:
Selected Publications: Underlined are KSU students, Full Publication list in Google Scholar
Sharif, M. T.; Farque, M.O.; Rahaman, M. H.; Hossen, M. A.; Hossain, A.; Halim, M. A.* Bicyclic Temporin L Peptide Inhibitors Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: Design, Synthesis, In-Vitro Inhibition Efficiency and Molecular Dynamics Insights, RSC Medicinal Chemistry, 2025, https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2025/MD/D5MD00528K Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.
Olawuyi, O.; Stewart, J.; Sakib, M. H.; Bryant, W.; Wewers, M. K.; Lewit, N.; Ali, M. A,; Md Sajjadur Rahman, M. S.; Halim, M. A.* Elucidating Gas Phase Microstructures of Therapeutic Deep Eutectic System, Analyst, 2025, 150, 1846-1855. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5AN00037H Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry, UK.
Olawuyi, O.; Rafiq, M. B. Bin; Ahmed, S.; Bhattarai, A.; Adjei-sah, O.; Ghasemi, M.; Efaz, F. M.; Hannan, A.; Saint-Louis, C. J.; Halim, M. A.* Investigating the Impact of Water on a Menthol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent: A Combined Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Study. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2024, 63 (47), 20475–20485. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.4c02346. Publisher: American Chemical Society, USA.
Stewart, J.; Shawon, J.; Ali, M. A.; Shahinuzzaman, A.; Rupa, S.; Williams, B.; Al-Adhami, T.; Jia, Bourque, C.; R.; Faddis, R.; Stone, K.; Sufian, M. A.; Islam, R.; McShan, A. C.; Rahman, K. M.; Halim, M. A.* Antiviral Peptides Inhibiting the Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2 Investigated by Computational Screening and In-Vitro Protease Assay. Journal of Peptide Science 2024. 30 (4), e3553 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3553 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, USA
Uddin, M. J.; Ghasemi, M.; White, C. B.; Bhattarai, A.; Akhter, H.; Hannan, A.; Saint-Louis, C. J.; Halim, M. A.* Physicochemical and Structural Investigation of L-Threonine/Glycerol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents Using Experimental and Molecular Modelling Approaches. New Journal of Chemistry 2024, 48 (41), 17849–17864. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NJ02664K. Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
Wulf, J.; Lewit, N.; Akter, S.; K. Bwambok, D.; Anum, D.; Alonge, T.; Kuedukey, C.; Bolton, B.; Dassow, B.; Halim, M. A.; O. Fakayode, S. Evaluating Binding and Interaction of Selected Pesticides with Serum Albumin Proteins by Raman, 1H NMR, Mass Spectrometry and Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Joural of Biomol ecule Structure and Dynamics, 2024 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/07391102.2024.2302344. Publisher: Taylor and Francis, UK
Faddis, R.; Du, S.; Stewart, J.; Hasan, M. M.; Lewit. N.; Ali, M. A.; White, C. B.; Okoto, P.; Thallapuranam, S.; Halim, M. A.* 'Molecular Modelling, Synthesis, and In-Vitro Assay to Identify Potential Antiviral Peptides targeting the 3-Chymotrypsin-like Protease of SARS-CoV-2' International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics, 2023, 29, 89 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10989-023-10563-w Publisher: Springer
Ali, M. A.; Kaium, M. A.; Uddin, S. N.; Uddin, M. J.; Olawuyi, O.; Campbell, A. D. Jr.; Saint-Louis, C. J.; Halim, M. A.* Elucidating the Structure, Dynamics, and Interaction of a Choline Chloride and Citric Acid Based Eutectic System by Spectroscopic and Molecular Modeling Investigations. ACS Omega 2023, 8(41), 38243-38251. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c04570 Publisher: American Chemical Society, USA.
Selected Student Presentations: (* mentees are presenting authors from KSU)
Hannan, A.*; Halim, M. A. ‘Amino Acid Based Next Generation Charge Reducing Agents for Native Mass Spectrometry’, 15th Southeast Enzyme Conference, April 26, 2025. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Poster Presentation). *Graduate student
Sharif, M. T.*; Halim, M. A. ‘Design and Development of Cyclic and Bicyclic Peptides targeting the Main Protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2’, 15th Southeast Enzyme Conference, April 26, 2025. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Poster Presentation). *Graduate student
Franz, J.*; Halim, M. A. ‘Alpha-methylated Phenylalanine Based Noncovalent Antiviral Peptide Stapling Targeting Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2’, 15th Southeast Enzyme Conference, April 26, 2025. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Poster Presentation). *Sophomore student
Dong, N. D. L.*; Halim, M. A. ‘Synthesis and In-Vitro Inhibition Assay of Cation-Pi Peptide Targeting Main Protease of SARS-CoV-2’, 15th Southeast Enzyme Conference, April 26, 2025. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Poster Presentation). *Senior student
Alatar, I*; Gordon, L.; Halim, M. A. ‘Peptide-Based Therapeutics Targeting Amyloid Beta for Alzheimer’s Treatment’, 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 7-9, 2025. Pittsburgh, PA, USA. (Poster Presentation). *Sophomore student
Abdul-Rahman, N..*; Halim, M. A. "Identification of Lipids in Shellfish Using Untargeted Mass Spectrometry Based Lipidomics Approach’, Southeast Undergraduate Research Conference, January 31-February 1, 2025. Kennesaw State University, GA, USA. (Oral Presentation). *Senior student
Franz, J.*, Halim, M, A. Developing Pi-Pi Staple Peptide Inhibitor targeting the Viral Protease of SARS-CoV-2, The 75th Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, October 23-26, 2024, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Oral Presentation), *Sophomore Student.
Hannan, A.*, Halim, M, A. Next Generation Charge Reducing Agents for Native Mass Spectrometry, The 75th Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, October 23-26, 2024, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Oral Presentation), *Graduate Student.
Akhter, A.*, Ali, M. A., Halim, M, A. Proteomics, Lipidomics and Metabolomics Studies of Tenualosa Ilisha, The 75th Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, October 23-26, 2024, Atlanta, GA, USA. (Oral Presentation), *Graduate Student.
