Research

My research focuses on how insulin/insulin-like signaling is associated with sex-specific gene regulation in Drosophila melanogaster. I combine molecular biology, experimental genetics, transcriptomics, and computational biology to study how gene expression responses vary across sex, genetic background, and environmental conditions.

More broadly, I am interested in how signaling pathways contribute to variation in gene expression and how gene-level and isoform-level regulation help shape biological differences between groups. My work integrates experimental sample generation with reproducible computational analysis of RNA-seq data.

Research Focus

My research focuses on how insulin/insulin-like signaling is associated with sex-specific gene regulation in Drosophila melanogaster. I am interested in how perturbation of this pathway relates to differences in transcriptional response between females and males, and in how shared signaling systems are associated with distinct expression patterns across sexes.

I also investigate how genetic background shapes regulatory response to pathway perturbation. By studying multiple genetic backgrounds, I examine how genotype contributes to variation in transcriptional response and to differences in sex-specific expression patterns.

A further component of my research examines how environmental conditions influence signaling-associated gene expression. This work explores how transcriptomic responses vary across contexts and how sex, genotype, and environment interact to shape regulatory plasticity.

In addition to gene-level expression, I study transcript-level regulation, especially alternative splicing, to understand whether variation in isoform usage contributes to sex-specific and context-dependent expression patterns beyond total transcript abundance alone.

Taken together, my research integrates experimental data generation with computational analysis of RNA-seq datasets. Through multifactor experimental design and reproducible analytical workflows, I study how signaling, genotype, and environment are associated with variation in gene expression at both the gene and isoform levels.

Experimental and Computational Expertise

My research training combines molecular biology, experimental design, transcriptomics, and computational biology in Drosophila melanogaster. On the experimental side, I have experience with sample collection, tissue preparation, RNA extraction, and preparation of samples for sequencing as part of carefully designed gene expression studies.

I also work with multifactor experimental designs that incorporate sex, genotype, treatment, and environmental conditions. My experimental approach emphasizes appropriate biological controls, sample quality, and the generation of datasets that support rigorous downstream analysis.

On the computational side, my work focuses on RNA-seq analysis, statistical genomics, and reproducible research workflows. I build and use pipelines for quality control, normalization, differential expression analysis, contrast-based modeling, co-expression analysis, and transcript-level analysis.

I work primarily in R and Python and use Linux and Git/GitHub to support organized and reproducible analyses. My analytical experience includes multi-factor modeling, clustering, network analysis, alternative splicing workflows, data visualization, and documentation for genomics research.

Selected Publications & Presentations

See the Publications page for a full list.

Peer-Reviewed:

  • Huda, N. et al. (2018). Genetic variation of the transcription factor GATA3, not STAT4, is associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes in the Bangladeshi population. PLoS ONE, 13(7), e0198507.
  • Huda, N. et al. (2021). MNS16A VNTR polymorphism of human telomerase gene. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 35(10), 108018.

Poster Presentations:

  • Huda, N., Graze, R.M. (2023). “The role of insulin signaling in sex differences in gene expression.” 64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference.
  • Huda, N., Washburn, R.C., Williams, S.L., Graze, R.M. (2021). “Sex differences in the effects of insulin signaling on food consumption in adult Drosophila melanogaster.” 62nd Annual Drosophila Research Conference.
  • Huda, N., Graze, R.M. (2019). “The contribution of ecdysone signaling to sex differential gene expression in adult Drosophila melanogaster.” 45th Annual SEPEEG.