Diversity in Life Sciences

Dr. Samira Musah is Alfred M. Hunt Faculty Scholar Assistant Professor at Duke University, jointly appointed in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology. She holds secondary faculty appointments in the Department of Cell Biology and the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program at Duke University. Dr. Musah earned her Ph.D. in chemistry/chemical-biology interface at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. Research in Dr. Musah’s laboratory aims to develop functional preclinical models to uncover molecular and biophysical regulation of organ development and how these processes can be harnessed to understand disease mechanisms and develop new therapeutic strategies. Dr. Musah is known for developing novel methods for stem cell differentiation and engineering functional models of human tissues and organs for preclinical applications. She is a recipient of many prestigious research awards including the NIH Director's New Innovator Award, a Whitehead Scholarship in Biomedical Research, Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Transition Award, Baxter’s Young Investigator Award, Genentech Research Award, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative Award. She was featured in Cell Stem Cell Early-Career Researchers and Nature Biotechnology Outstanding & Trailblazing Researchers. Dr. Musah was named among the inaugural "100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America" by Cell Press. Dr. Musah was named a Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Early Career Scholar at Brown University and named a Rising Star in Biomedical Engineering at MIT.