Aleena is completing her third year of undergraduate studies on the pre- med path at the University of Delaware, majoring in Human Physiology with minor concentrations in English and Forensic Science. Looking to apply to medical school in the upcoming years, she is currently in the process of working on her MCAT and application.
Aleena has previously done work in an Infant Speech Lab as a research assistant, studying how infants produce and perceive their native language. She is currently working as a mentor for HealthCorps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating health challenges through health and wellness education for underserved youth. In addition to her work in research and as a mentor, Aleena volunteers with the Red Cross and at Nemours, a children’s hospital.
Aleena has had the honor of participating in two Global Health missions with Humanity First to Mexico, where a team of students and physicians were able to provide healthcare for communities in need. She has recently opened a chapter of Humanity First at her university, and hopes to expand their impact to serve communities in need both locally, and globally. As a Waqf e Nau, Aleena hopes to continue using her education and passion for service to serve humanity and jamaat in any capacity needed.
Fatir Qureshi is a biomedical engineer and computational scientist whose research integrates artificial intelligence, regulatory genomics, single-cell biology, and precision medicine. He develops computational methods to address complex questions in human disease, with a focus on the genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying disease risk and progression. His research also seeks to translate advances in computational biology into clinically meaningful applications, including patient stratification, disease modeling, and precision medicine.
Olivia Barber received her bachelor’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park followed by a master’s in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College London. After completing her master’s, she spent a year working in industry as a consultant engineer for drinking water projects before returning to academia. She received her PhD in environmental engineering from Northwestern University where she researched how disinfectant use impacts antimicrobial resistance. Olivia’s current interests include theoretical physics and abstract mathematics.
Muzafar Ibrahim is a PhD candidate in Physics with a specialization in Experimental Nuclear Physics. Originally from Ghana, he began his doctoral journey in August 2023 after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. His research focuses on exploring the structure of atomic nuclei—the fundamental building blocks of matter—with the aim of deepening our understanding of the physical foundations of the universe.
Driven by curiosity and a passion for scientific discovery, Muzafar’s work contributes to advancing knowledge in nuclear structure and experimental techniques within modern physics. His academic journey reflects a strong commitment to excellence, perseverance, and the pursuit of knowledge in service to humanity.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Muzafar is actively involved in Jamaat service and currently serves as the Nazm-e-Taleem for Boston Majlis, where he supports educational and intellectual development within the community.
Outside of his research, he enjoys reading and engaging in thoughtful discussions on science, faith, and education.
On a Jamaat level, Sabahat is humbled to serve as the local Publications Secretary in Baltimore and as the Chair of the Website/Social Media Committee for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association. She has had the blessed opportunity to serve on the Medicine, Science, Learning, Innovation, and Mentorship (MSLM) Conference organizing team from 2024 onwards.
On an academic level, Sabahat graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. Looking ahead, she is grateful and excited to begin MD-PhD training in the summer of 2026, inshaAllah. Her overall research interests lie in computational immuno-oncology, cancer immunotherapies, and precision oncology. InshaAllah, she hopes to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.
Dr. Durdana Muntaqua is a Scientist I in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she investigates the molecular mechanisms driving melanoma progression and treatment resistance to advance novel therapeutic strategies for skin cancer. Her research interests include cancer biology, molecular pharmacology, cancer therapeutics, natural product research, and translational oncology.
A pharmacist by training, Dr. Muntaqua earned her PharmD in 2008 and spent more than 15 years in higher education, teaching and mentoring pharmacy students while contributing to academic leadership and curriculum development. She began her research career during her doctoral studies in Pharmacology at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan, and has since developed a multidisciplinary research portfolio spanning oncology, pharmacology, natural products research, and molecular medicine.
Since transitioning to full-time research in 2023, Dr. Muntaqua has focused on melanoma biology, cancer signaling pathways, and therapeutic development. She has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, received over 400 citations, and presented her work at national and international scientific conferences. Through her research, she is committed to advancing translational cancer science and improving outcomes for patients with cancer.
Fatir Qureshi is a biomedical engineer and computational scientist whose research integrates artificial intelligence, regulatory genomics, single-cell biology, and precision medicine. He develops computational methods to address complex questions in human disease, with a focus on the genetic and cellular mechanisms underlying disease risk and progression. His research also seeks to translate advances in computational biology into clinically meaningful applications, including patient stratification, disease modeling, and precision medicine.
Jameel Lone is a Research Scientist at Stanford University specializing in metabolism and peptide hormone discovery. His research focuses on obesity biology, neuroendocrine regulation of energy balance, and the discovery of novel peptide therapeutics for metabolic diseases.
In 2022, Huma completed her post-graduate diploma in Condensed matter & Statistical Physics from The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) Trieste, Italy. Now she is a final year PhD student in the Physics department at University of Houston, TX. She is working on superconductivity and spin orbit coupling in thin nitride superlattices under the supervision of Dr. C.S. Ting. Her first project was based on Superconductivity in doped Carbon nanotubes which involves investigating their band structures and calculating phonon dispersions using Density Functional theory (DFT). It was published in March 2026 in Journal of Applied Physics. Apart from being a student, she was also an active member of the Women in Physics society (WiPS) at UH (2023-2025).
Makbul is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics at the University of Minnesota Duluth, with research interests in mathematical modeling, mathematical biology, and agent-based modeling. His work focuses on applying mathematical and computational approaches to understand complex biological and real-world systems.
He is also serving as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he support students in their mathematics coursework and learning.
He is passionate about mathematics, research, teaching, and using mathematical tools to contribute to the understanding and solution of real-world problems.
Syed Bashir Hydari graduated from Columbia University with his Master’s in Statistics (focused on Applied Mathematics), while specializing in Risk & Financial Modeling. He was one of only three OPP scholars selected departmentally for a full-tuition scholarship, and later graduated at the top of his class with a 4.07/4.00 GPA. Prior to Columbia, he graduated Summa cum laude from UCLA with a Bachelor’s in Psychobiology (focused on Computational Statistics), earning a perfect 4.00 STEM GPA on a full-ride merit scholarship. Between degrees, he completed a post-baccalaureate research fellowship focused on Bayesian inference under decision uncertainty, helping transition his work from neurocomputing to quantitative finance. He is currently a graduate researcher at Columbia University in quantitative finance and a graduate admissions coach for InGenius Prep.
