Open to opportunities

Zainularifeen Abduljaleel

@zainularifeenabdulja

Associate Professor and Clinical Bioinformatics Scientist specializing in AI-driven genomic medicine and precision therapeutics.

Saudi Arabia

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek roles that leverage AI-driven genomics and clinical informatics to translate NGS insights into diagnostics and therapies, with opportunities for teaching, research leadership, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

I am an Associate Professor and Clinical Bioinformatics Research Scientist with over 13 years of experience integrating AI, genomics, and clinical informatics to advance precision medicine. I currently work at Umm Al-Qura University and serve as a Clinical Bioinformatics Consultant at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

My research spans genomic diagnostics, pharmacogenomics, epigenetics, proteomics, vaccine and peptide design, and biomarker-driven drug discovery, resulting in 80+ international peer-reviewed publications, an h-index of 19+, and 1,132+ citations.

I lead translational projects that implement end-to-end NGS workflows (WGS, WES, RNA-Seq), variant interpretation (ACMG/AMP), and the integration of genomic insights into electronic medical records and clinical decision-support systems. I have developed platforms such as PrioChip-AI and rP-Vac1, and contributed to multiple funded national projects and international collaborations.

I teach and mentor students in genome biology, clinical bioinformatics, and AI-omics integration, and I aim to join an organization where I can apply computational and experimental expertise to improve diagnostics, guide therapies, and translate genomics into better patient outcomes.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Clinical Bioinformatics Consultant

Current

Al-Noor Specialist Hospital

Sep 2013 - Present (12 years 9 months)

Provided clinical bioinformatics leadership for diagnostic NGS services at the Makkah Regional Laboratory, designing and validating pipelines for WGS/WES/targeted NGS and delivering clinically actionable reports aligned with ACMG guidelines.

Diagnostic Reporting Variant Prioritization Data Governance WGS WES Targeted Sequencing

Current

Associate Professor

Current

Umm Al-Qura University

Sep 2013 - Present (12 years 9 months)

Lead clinical bioinformatics research and teaching in the Faculty of Medicine, conducting end-to-end NGS analyses (WGS/WES/RNA-Seq) for diagnostics, publishing 30+ papers since 2019 and integrating genomics into clinical workflows to support precision medicine.

Bioinformatics ACMG Classification Precision Medicine

Bioinformatics Research Scientist

King Saud University

Sep 2010 - Aug 2013 (2 years 11 months)

Conducted computational analyses for cancer genomics (WES, RNA-Seq), developed NGS workflows and integrated multi-omics and clinical data to identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets while teaching and supervising students.

Genomics WES Differential Expression Biomarker Discovery Multi omics Pipeline Development

Bioinformatics Project Coordinator

Vistas / Vel's University

Aug 2008 - Aug 2010 (2 years)

Led multidisciplinary bioinformatics projects integrating genomics, proteomics, and structural modeling for cancer target discovery and managed end-to-end project lifecycles and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Project Management Bioinformatics Molecular Docking Genomics Proteomics Data Integration

Senior Bioinformatician

MGRC / Quantumbeez

Jun 2007 - Aug 2008 (1 year 2 months)

Performed advanced sequence and structural analyses, developed scalable NGS and RNA-Seq pipelines, and applied systems biology approaches to uncover molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

Structural Biology

Scientific Advisor

Techni Scientifical Research Lab

Jul 2006 - May 2007 (10 months)

Advised on interpretation of high-throughput genomic datasets (WES/WGS/Methyl-Seq/ChIP-Seq), study design, validation, and development of AI-driven diagnostic and translational solutions for R&D projects.

NGS Interpretation Biomarker Discovery Validation Methylation ChIP Seq

Research Associate

Vel's University

Feb 2005 - May 2005 (3 months)

Executed large-scale genomics analyses integrating WGS/WES/RNA-Seq pipelines, applied genetic algorithms and machine learning for feature selection and predictive modeling in translational genomics projects.

WGS WES Genetic Algorithms Machine Learning

Bioinformatics Project Developer

Gemeiosys Research Labs

Aug 2004 - Jan 2005 (5 months)

Led strategic development of clinical bioinformatics projects, validating NGS and multi-omics pipelines, aligning computational solutions with regulatory and operational standards for R&D translation.

Project Strategy NGS Validation Multi omics Regulatory Compliance Stakeholder Management

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Bircham University

Ph.D. (Genetics), Genetics: Clinical Bioinformatics

Completed a Ph.D. in Genetics with specialization in Clinical Bioinformatics, conducting thesis research in collaboration with Umm Al-Qura University.