Md Kausar Raza, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Dr. Md Kausar Raza joined UW-La Crosse as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Chemistry in Fall 2025. Prior to joining UWL, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a research scientist at The Pennsylvania State (Penn State) University. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. His research integrates inorganic chemistry, photochemistry, and chemical biology to develop redox-active metal complexes for cancer photomedicine, with a particular focus on strategies to address tumor hypoxia. In parallel, he studies iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters and other metallocofactors in viral replication and disease.
Current Lab Members
Amy Schaetz (Junior, ACS-Certified Chemistry major, Biology minor)
Amy has been in the lab since Spring 2026. Her research focuses on metal-based photodynamic therapy and its combination with immunotherapy to induce immunogenic cell death.
Aliyah Schieldt (Freshman, Radiation Therapy major)
Aliyah joined the lab in Spring 2026. She is exploring redox-active metal complexes for photodynamic therapy and the potential for synergy with immunotherapy.
Ezra Santiago (Freshman, Biochemistry major)
Ezra has been a member since Spring 2026. He is studying light-activated metal complexes for cancer photomedicine, with an emphasis on hypoxia-resistant mechanisms.
Isaac McKenzie (Freshman, Biochemistry major)
Isaac joined the lab in Spring 2026. He is investigating the role of iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters in viral proteins, including SARS-CoV-2 helicase.