Mustafa Najim joined the Cancer Mechanisms and Biomarkers group at UKHSA in 2022. He has completed his MSc in infection and immunity at University College London (UCL). After his graduation, he worked as an Associate practitioner for the NHS during the Coronavirus pandemic in Bracknell Hospital. He was involved in a range of investigations in the Virology laboratory and provided skilled assistance in the diagnosis of disease and monitoring of treatment. The investigations included manual and automated techniques on specialized analytical equipment. He has experience in molecular biology techniques such as cell culture, blotting, nucleic acid extraction, qPCR and Nanopore sequencing. Currently, he works with our Cancer Mechanisms and Biomarkers group on the discovery and characterization of gene expression biomarkers of ionizing radiation exposure, toxicity, and individual sensitivity.