Rahmatullah Roche

Rahmatullah Roche serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Columbus State University's TSYS School of Computer Science, joining the tenure-track faculty in Fall 2024.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science and Applications from Virginia Tech (2024)
• M.S. in Computer Science and Software Engineering from Auburn University (2021)
• B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (2016)

Dr. Roche's research spans Computational Biology, Applied Machine Learning, Data Science, and Human-Computer Interaction, with primary focus on macromolecular predictive modeling for intra- and inter-molecular interactions using cutting-edge AI techniques. His work bridges computer science and biology to solve complex structural bioinformatics challenges.

Analysis of his 14 publications (2020-2025) reveals a consistent trajectory in applying deep learning—particularly transformer networks, equivariant graph neural networks, and biological language models—to protein-RNA complex prediction, protein-nucleic acid binding, and protein-protein interaction site identification, published in high-impact journals including Cell Systems and Nucleic Acids Research.

Key scientific recognitions include:

• Pratt Fellowship Award (2023-2024)
• Turner College Research Award (2025)
• Professional Development Award for Core Course redesign (2025)
• Core Course Design Institute Professional Development Award (2024)
• 3rd place Flash Talk award at VT GPSS Symposium (2024)
• Best Poster Award at ACM-BCB 2020
• YSEA Finalist Travel Award at MCBIOS 2024

Dr. Roche actively recruits undergraduate and graduate students for his research lab while securing resources through NSF ACCESS grants. His teaching portfolio includes Computer Science I, Computer Organization, and Graphical User Interface Development, complemented by service as Discipline Coordinator for Web Development and reviewer for top bioinformatics journals. His research group collaborates with Virginia Tech on advancing biomolecular modeling through interdisciplinary AI applications.