Rehana Masood

I work as a researcher in biological sciences at the University of Alabama Birmingham, where my research focuses on proteins and drug discovery. My journey in academia spans over 10 years, beginning with my PhD in molecular biophysics from Brazil, which was awarded through the CAPES Scholarship by the Brazilian government. In 2016, I joined Shahid Benazir Women University in Peshawar, Pakistan as an assistant professor, where I received the Best Teacher Award and Most Productive Year Award. My research is diverse and impactful, working with proteins from multiple sources. I work with snake venom proteins, separating and analyzing their structure and function. I also research plant proteins, particularly from moringa oleifera, which have applications in water purification and wastewater removal. What drives me most is my focus on women's health. I am deeply invested in researching polycystic ovary syndrome, identifying the enzymes involved and working to inhibit them. I am also working on bone aging, particularly osteoporosis that affects both males and females after their 50s, but I am especially concerned about females due to hormonal changes. Women suffer significantly from their 30s onwards, and if they have borne children, their health is compromised even more. My experimental work involves animal models, specifically rats and mice, and I believe strongly in the collaboration between academia, which produces and confirms ideas, and industry, which can implement discoveries on a large scale. I am passionate about extending my network in STEM and connecting with like-minded people in the protein research field to enable mutual collaboration and advance discoveries that I cannot perform in my own lab.