Majd Abdulghani
Election Year: 2019
Election Constituency: Saudi Arabia
Scholar Status: Scholar Alum
Rhodes Identifier: Saudi Arabia & Balliol 2019
Biography
Majd is a geneticist currently working in the Cheung Lab at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute. Her podcast, "Majd's Diary: Two Years in the Life of a Saudi Girl," aired on NPR and received two prestigious radio awards. The podcast reflects Majd's missions of dismantling stereotypes associated with Muslim, Saudi women and inspiring girls across the globe to pursue science. Majd has a blue belt in karate and has won a show-jumping competition. During her Master's at Iowa State University in the Tuteja Lab, she proposed her own research project and uncovered genes that may play a role in pregnancy disorders. Majd believes that her identities as a Muslim, Saudi woman are not shackling, but are keys to pushing scientific and stereotypical boundaries.