Dr Doaa Megahd
Research Scientist at Harvard University
Dr Doaa Megahd
Dr Doaa Megahd
About
Megahed is currently a research scientist and faculty member at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) which she joined after the COVID19 pandemic revealed the importance of better digital infrastructure, Data Science, and interdisciplinary research and public-private partnerships for local and global pandemic preparedness. Always ahead of the curve while paving the path for those who come after her, she was the first Egyptian scientific editor at Nature Publishing Group, one of the most recognized names in scientific publishing; a member of the first master’s class in Systems Biology at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) as well as the first undergraduate class in Biotechnology at the German University in Cairo (Egypt).
Current research
In her current role, she manages multi-modal data for a large NIH-funded consortium of international researchers focused on identifying principled vaccine strategies for adults at risk of TB – the world’s deadliest infectious disease by number of lives claimed. She also manages a partnership with Siemens Healthineers focused on using digitally-connected diagnostics for public health monitoring. She is also a part-time Senior Consultant at the Brussels-based myEUconsulting, where she helps high-risk but promising early-stage Biotech/Techbio/Digital Health startups obtain EU funding.
Future research vision
With the vast explosion of digital data in biology and other disciplines, developing computational tools that allow the analysis and interpretation of such data to derive meaningful biological insights is key. With her interdisciplinary training, and interest in technology development, Doaa hopes to develop tools that enable a higher level of understanding of complex biology and disease, as well as improve disease management.
Key publications

Mugahid D, et al. Digitally Connected Diagnostics Data in the Future of Public Health.

GEN Biotechnology, 2023. http://doi.org/10.1089/genbio.2023.0016

Mugahid, D et al. YAP regulates cell size and growth dynamics via non-cell autonomous

mediators. eLife, 2020. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.53404

Mugahid, D et al. Proteomic and transcriptomic changes in grizzly bears define mechanisms

that protect against muscle atrophy. Scientific Reports, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-

019-56007-8

Willems, PH et al. PKC-mediated inhibitory feedback of the cholecystokinin 1 receptor controls

the shape of oscillatory Ca2+ signals. FEBS J, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.13267

Key awards

Harvard T.H. Chan Research Scientist Association Award

Dean Innovation Award, Harvard Medical School.

Undergraduate Scholarship, TransCard.

PhD Scholarship, Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School (HBIGS).

Master Scholarship, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).

Scholarship for Academic Excellence, German University in Cairo.

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