Dr. Summya Rashid hails from Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, and is currently working as an Assistant Professor at, the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. She did her master’s and Ph.D. in Toxicology from the School of Life Sciences, Hamdard University, New Delhi, India. She also did her post-doctoral training at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA. Her research interest lies in the radio genomic profiling of bladder and prostate cancer cell lines, modulation of methyl DNA binding proteins by CRISPR Cas-9 gene editing, and validation of mutations through liquid biopsies. She has also worked on the modulation of renal cell carcinoma and anti-cancer drug toxicity by natural compounds targeting inflammatory, apoptotic, cell cycle, and hyperproliferation signaling pathways at the preclinical stage. At JK Scientists she is a lead coordinator for the Outreach and Mentorship programs.

Dr. Amreen Naqash is born and raised in Srinagar, Kashmir. She graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) from the University of Kashmir and later completed her Masters (Master of Pharmacy – Pharmacology) from the same university. After her masters, Amreen worked for a few months at the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. and simultaneously got an opportunity to worked remotely in a collaboration with a group of researchers at the University of Monash, Australia. Amreen is presently a graduate student at the University of Otago, in New Zealand. Her research focuses on the functional characterisation of the viral interleukin 10, an anti-inflammatory factor encoded by the parapoxviruses, and their role in dampening the immune responses.

Dr. Amreen strongly feels that being curious and the capacity to take “no” for the hypothesis is fundamental to her scientific career. Kashmir! It is the need answered. The vulnerability of education to daily challenges faced by a Kashmiri student motivates her to make a difference. She has been there and faced those limitations, and that is what She don’t want for the undergrads with the spark and zeal for science. Being associated with JKScientists provided her with the opportunity to stay connected with roots and play an active role in nourishing them.

Umaiya Muzaffar is from Srinagar, J&K. She did her schooling at Mallinson School, Srinagar. Later she joined Govt. Women’s College, M. A. Road, Srinagar to pursue Bachelor’s in Science. It was this very institute where her research journey began and she got interested in Biotechnology. To fulfil the dream of pursuing research in the field of Biotechnology, Umaiya moved to Delhi and joined University of Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi and did Masters in Biotechnology.

After completing her Master’s degree, Umaiya joined Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia where she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. Her research focuses on the therapeutic potential on engineered mesenchymal stem cell in treating COVID-19 associated cytokine storm.

Umaiya wants to give back to society and has a passion for helping students back home. She is a coordinator for Outreach program at JKScientists, and can be reached at umaiyam@jkscientists.org

Iqball Faheem is born in Central Kashmir’s district Budgam. Iqball begun his schooling at a local school and subsequently graduated from the University of Kashmir with a Master’s degree in Biotechnology. He was passionate about scientific research, and he was fortunate to find the field of Biotechnology as a steppingstone to pursue his scientific career. Presently, Iqball Faheem is a Ph.D. student at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bangalore, working under the supervision of Prof. V. Nagaraja. His research work focuses on Topology Transcription Connection in Mycobacteria. Iqball was impressed by the ideas and efforts of the JKScientist to mentor the youngsters and he believes working with JKScientist is a fantastic opportunity to give back to the society. At JKScientist, Iqball is a lead coordinator and is leading a Spectrum group “Solution Squad” He is also associated with other mentoring programes. He can be contacted at miqballfaheem@gmail.com.

Tanzeela Wazir is a psychology student aiming to pursue a career in Clinical Psychology. Currently she is pursuing bachelor’s in psychology and Education from Amar Singh College, Srinagar. Since she was a kid, she has always been curious about the mysteries of human emotions and behaviors, and she has always wanted to understand how actually humans function in this regard. Tanzeela believes that Psychology is the field that allowed her to understand the mechanisms behind these mysteries. Tanzeela is a lead coordinator at JKScientists. Tanzeela leads Psychology Journal Club (PsychNook) at JK Spectrum.

Syed Abrar Hussain Quadri comes from Aishmuqam, District Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir and did his B.Sc. from Govt Degree College Boys, Anantnag and M.Sc. from the Department of Biochemistry, University of Kashmir. Syed Abrar is pursuing his Ph.D. from the School of Life Science, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. Abrar is working in the laboratory for investigative nephrology. Our laboratory’s extensive research programs investigate the biology of glomerular cells in health and clinical conditions such as diabetes and obesity research areas. He is trying to understand and investigate the structural insights of the slit diaphragm protein CD2AP and its partners PODOCIN and NEPHRIN and how these proteins interact and form the macromolecular complex called the Slit diaphragm (SD). This (SD) plays a crucial role in the filtration of blood and the formation of urine. Abrar was mentored by JKScientists and he is now giving back to the society by volunteering for the mentorship programs.

Romisa is from Srinagar, J&K. She did her schooling at little Angels High School, Srinagar. Later she joined Govt. Women’s College, M. A. Road, Srinagar to pursue Bachelor’s in Science. To fulfil the dream of higher studies, Romisa moved to Delhi and pursued Masters in Biotechnology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Currently, she is working as Junior Research Fellow (JRF) at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru India. Like many of us, Romisa wants to give back to society and has a passion for helping students back home. She is a coordinator for Sprout Mentorship program at JKScientists, and can be reached at romisa.razvi6@aiims.edu

Safiya Mehraj is a passionate researcher from the picturesque region of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar. Her academic journey began at Babur Reyan Public School, followed by Hussaini Public High School. She graduated with a B. Sc. degree from Govt. Degree College Bemina, Srinagar and then pursued her Master’s in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Kashmir, Srinagar.

Safiya is pursuing my PhD at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Srinagar, in the area of Clinical Microbiology. She aims to contribute to the development of effective therapeutic strategies and enhance our understanding of microbial resistance mechanisms.

Safiya actively participates in various academic and professional forums, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge and fostering collaborations with fellow researchers. She wants to give back to society through mentorship and outreach by sharing her knowledge, experience, and skills to empower others, creating a positive impact that can have a ripple effect and inspire future generations. With this aim, she joined as a coordinator at JKScientists and can be reached at safiya@jkscientists.org