Career
Welcome to my career journey—a path shaped by cutting-edge research, impactful collaborations, and a passion for advancing scientific discovery.
Who Am I
Profile
I recently earned my PhD in Molecular Biology, Medical Biology, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology, with the highest honors. As a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University, I conducted innovative research utilizing state-of-the-art proteomics and bioinformatics approaches to advance our understanding of nasopharyngeal cancer (ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5002-4586). As a result, I have cultivated strong technical expertise in omics platforms as well as cell and molecular biology. Beyond technical expertise, I have honed valuable qualities such as leadership, perseverance, and teamwork through diverse collaborative projects and mentoring experiences. I am now open to new opportunities to further develop my academic skills, drive impactful scientific discoveries, contribute to innovative solutions addressing global health challenges, and share my knowledge by mentoring and empowering others in their journeys.
Research experience
2025-present
Continued Biomedical Research, Post-PhD
- Continuing research from my PhD project on nasopharyngeal cancer with a focus on molecular characterization, biomarker discovery, multi-omics, and bioinformatics.
- Writing and submitting first- and co-author research papers.
- Expanding translational aspects of the project.
2025
Workshop/course Development Team- Pharmacogenetics & Nutrigenomics
- Development and design of the first workshop/course paving the way for P4 Medicine in healthcare in Morocco along with Prof. Maria Weisshaar from Germany and Prof. Mohcine Bennani Mechita, dean of FPL.
- This course aims to provide the basic concepts and tools of pharmacogenetics and nutrigenomics. It consists of a theoretical seminar, practical experiments, and a workshop conference at the end.
2020-2024
PhD research project- Biomedicine and Cancer Research
- PhD research project as part of the Fulbright Joint Supervision program in the United States.
- Characterization of the molecular profile of nasopharyngeal cancer for the first time in Morocco and Africa using genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics approaches to identify potential biomarkers that can help improve the early diagnosis and therapeutic pathways of this complex disease.
- Identification of the epidemiological profile and clinical characteristics of nasopharyngeal cancer in Morocco to better understand this head and neck cancer.
2022-present
ReachSci Cambridge- Research Committee member
- Development and design of high-quality research training programs accessible to students and early-career researchers worldwide.
- Conduct STEM research with students from different universities.
2019
Masters' end of studies research project- Cancer Epidemiology
For further details, please refer to my CV
2017
Bachelors' end of studies research project- Microbiology and food safety
For further details, please refer to my CV
First Author Scientific Publications
2025
Integrated Plasma and Tumor Proteomics of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in a Moroccan Cohort
Ayman Reffai, Michelle Hori, Ravali Adusumilli, Abel Bermudez, Houssam Haddad, Nezha Tawfiq, Sharon Piterri, Mohcine Bennani Mechita, and Parag Mallick
2024
A Proteomic Analysis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in a Moroccan Subpopulation- Cancers MDPI
Ayman Reffai, Michelle Hori, Ravali Adusumilli, Abel Bermudez, Abdelilah Bouzoubaa, Sharon Piterri, Mohcine Bennani Mechita, and Parag Mallick
2021
Epidemiological Profile and Clinicopathological, Therapeutic, and Prognostic Characteristics of Nasopharyngeal Carcnioma in Northern Morocco- Cancer Control SAGE
Ayman Reffai, Mohamed Mesmoudi, Touria Derkaoui, Naima Ghailani Nourouti, Amina Barakat, Nabila Sellal, Parag Mallick, and Mohcine Bennani Mechita
Scientific Presentations
2024
The Fifth International Symposium on Emergent and Reemergent Viral Pathogens
2024
ReachSci Global Conference on Advancing Research and Innovation for a Connected World
2024
Fulbright Research Symposium
2023
The Fourth International Symposium on Emergent and Reemergent Pathogens Symposium (Cancer and Viruses)
2023
Scientific Research Doctoral Days- Conference
2022
The American Moroccan Agricultural, Health, and Life Sciences Conference
2021
Beyond Sciences Initiative Conference, Science & Society
2021
Solid Tumor Summit, Qiagen
Peer-review
2021-present
Research papers- reviewer
Reviewed 6 original research papers through the peer-review process for high-quality journals, including a Springer Nature journal and PlosOne.
Education
2019-2024
PhD (doctorate)- Molecular Biology, Medical Biology, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology
School of Medicine, Stanford University (USA) and FSTT, University of Abdelmalek Essaadi (Morocco)
- Advisors : Prof Mohcine Bennani Mechita, UAE and Prof Parag Mallick, Stanford.
- Dissertation title: Characterization of Nasopharyngeal Cancer in Morocco: From Clinical and Epidemiological Profiling to Molecular Signatures and Biomarker Discovery for Better Diagnosis and Precision Medicine.
- Joint Supervision Fulbright grant at the Canary Center at Stanford University as part of my PhD.
- Highest honor.
2017-2019
Masters in Science and Technology- Cellular and Molecular Bases in Biotechnology
FSTT, University of Abdelmalek Essaadi (Morocco)
- Specialty: Cellular and Molecular Bases in Biotechnology.
- Thesis: Epidemiological and clinical study of nasopharyngeal cancer in Northern Morocco.
- Ranked first with very good honor
2014-2017
Licence in Science and Technology (Bachelors)- Biotechnology
FSTT, University of Abdelmalek Essaadi (Morocco)
- Bachelors’ degree, Biotechnology specialty
- University degree in Scientific and Technical Studies, Biology-Chemistry-Geology (BCG) specialty
- Good honor
Teaching and mentoring
2024
Harvard OpenBio- Biomedical Research
Harvard University, OpenBio laboratory (virtually)
- Volunteered in a one-on-one mentorship program known as the Student Research Institute (SRI) and mentored a student to write a scientific paper in the Biomedicine and Neuroscience fields.
- The program was developed by the OpenBio lab at Harvard to provide free and meaningful research opportunities for students with underserved backgrounds from all around the world.
2023-present
Lumiere programs- Biomedical and Biotechnology Research
Lumiere Education, US (virtually)
- Currently providing one-on-one mentorship to students for research projects and scientific paper writing on various biology topics.
2022
Mini-PhD ReachSci Program of STEM Research
Cambridge University and Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Tangier (FSTT), UAE, Morocco
- Developed at the University of Cambridge in the UK, with a mission to provide students worldwide with opportunities to learn and conduct high-quality research projects.
- Mentored and supervised six master’s students, providing training opportunities in scientific research and mentoring them throughout the program.
- The program consisted of a practical research project on diabetes and glucometer accuracy, precision, and specificity as well as workshops with assignments and presentations.
2021-2022
MINARA Mentorship in Action Program
Stanford University, US
2020-present
Master’s Thesis Research Project - Cancer Research
Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Tangier (FSTT), UAE, Morocco
2020-present
Cell Biology and Biochemistry Practical Work Teaching/Supervising
Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Tangier, UAE, Morocco
Please refer to my CV for further details!
Grants & Fellowships
2021-2022
Fulbright Grant: First Moroccan Fulbrighter at Stanford University
Issued by the Department of State, United States of America
- Granted the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to continue my PhD research project in the United States as a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University.
2020
Ph.D. Excellence Scholarship
Issued by the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST), Morocco
- Granted the CNRST competitive PhD excellence scholarship.
Honors & Awards
2023
Research Access Champion Badge
ReachSci Mini-PhD Research Program, Cambridge University, UK
2023
Best Oral Presentation Award
Scientific Research Doctoral days, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Larache, Morocco
2022
Best Poster Presentation Award
AMAHLS conference, Tangier, Morocco
2022
Best Oral Presentation Award
Science & Society, Beyond Sciences Initiative Conference
2020
Youth Leadership Program Finalist (6th edition)
By United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
Volunteering
2023
Morocco Earthquake Appeal Fundraiser, Human Appeal
2023
Co-founder, Fulbright Network group in Morocco
2022
Co-founder, Stanford Students Fulbright Association
2022
Khabib event and Fundraiser, Human Appeal
2014-present
Founder and president, Drop of Life
Certifications
2024
Scientific Research Masterclass
Issued by ICESCO, Faculty of Science Mohamed 5 University, and ENS Martil
2022
Cognitive Fitness, Neuroscience
Issued by Harvard Medical School
2022
Introduction to Python
Issued by Datacamp
2022
Next Generation Sequencing for Monogenic Diseases
Issued by Wellcome Connecting ScienceUK and the African Society of Human Genetics
2021-2022
Stanford Laboratory Training and Registration System (STARS)
Issued by Stanford University (11 Certificates)
2020
Population Health During A Pandemic (COVID-19), Public Health
Issued by the University of Houston
2019-2020
Research and Literature Review
Issued by Web of Science Group, Clarivate Analytics (4 certificates)
2019
Data Analysis Methods by SPSS
Issued by Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Moroccan Association of Management, and International Academy for Research Valorization
Skills
Leadership
Scientific Research
Creativity
Critical Thinking
Problem Solving
Soft Skills
Laboratory expertise
- Omics platforms: Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics
- Molecular Biology & Biomedical Research
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry & Proteins
- Microbiology
Computer Sciences
R (Experienced) and Python (Basic knowledge) programming languages;
Bioinformatics (R-based bioinfo, DAVID, NCBI, UniProt, Ensembl, and others); Data analysis and
visualization (ggplot2, dplyr, and other R libraries); Biostatistics (R and SPSS), Microsoft Office.
Languages: Arabic (native), French (full professional proficiency), and English (full professional proficiency)
Let's Connect
Interested in working together or learning more? I’d be happy to share my full CV—just ask!
📩 Request full CV: [email protected]
