Roksana grew up in Bangladesh and later immigrated to the United States, where she completed her B.S. with academic honors in Chemistry and Biochemistry at York College. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center in Prof. Kevin Gardner’s lab, focusing on PAS and LOV sensory domains and their regulation of Ser/Thr kinases in plants and humans. Her thesis centered on the structural and functional characterization of PAS/LOV mediated allosteric control using integrated NMR, HDX-MS, cryo-EM, and X-ray approaches, contributing to the development of emerging optogenetic tools and therapeutic strategies for diabetes and obesity.
Outside the lab, she is passionate about STEM outreach, enjoys cooking, watching soccer and cricket, spending time outdoors, and keeping up with new scientific discoveries.