About
I am a Senior Data Scientist at Aliya Financial Technologies, where I leverage my deep expertise in complex data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning to transform lending through AI-powered analytics. I transitioned from a successful academic career in cancer research — including a PhD and NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center — to the technology sector, with a focus on transforming complex information into actionable insights.
During my academic career, I received both an NIH/NHLBI F31 predoctoral fellowship and an NIH/NCI F32 postdoctoral fellowship to investigate molecular mechanisms of leukemia. My research was published in Nature Communications and presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meetings, including an oral presentation at ASH 2024 highlighted as one of the "Key Advances in AML."
Beyond my day role, I co-founded Insight AI, an autonomous AI agent for medical research, and TraffMind AI, an advanced video analytics platform for traffic engineering and smart city infrastructure.
Personal Background
I began my undergraduate studies in 2008 as a Pharmacy student at The Arab International University (AIU) in Damascus, Syria. My interest in pharmacology led me to intern at Bahri Pharmaceuticals, while studying at AIU. As the political unrest was unfolding in Syria in 2011, it affected my education and it prevented my timely graduation. Thus, I left Syria and relocated to the United States in 2012.
Despite my setbacks during my pivotal educational experience, I did not lose hope in making my dream come true. After moving to the US, I applied to Long Island University (LIU) and was accepted. Regardless of my initial outlook and the lingual difference, I graduated from LIU with a 4.00 GPA and made the Dean's list every semester. I graduated from LIU in Brooklyn, New York with a Bachelors of Science in Biology in 2014.
To reach the next level in my career and further strengthen my research skills, I finished my Masters of Science in 2016, and my PhD in Pharmacology at URMC in August 2019. After completing my NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson, I transitioned to the technology sector where I now apply my quantitative expertise to fintech and AI ventures.