Md Afjalus Siraj, MPHARM, PhD

Md Afjalus Siraj, MPHARM, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology
Pharmaceutical Science
Email: [email protected]

Education

• PhD, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP), University of Hawaii at Hilo, HI, Molecular Pharmacology
• MSc, Life Science Faculty, Khulna University, Bangladesh, Pharmacy
• BPharm, Life Science Faculty, Khulna University, Bangladesh, Pharmacy

Graduate/Post-Graduate Training

• Postdoctoral Associate, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) of Pharmacology at the College of Pharmacy, Ferris State University, where my research focuses on RNA dysregulation and non-mutational mechanisms that drive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tumorigenesis and therapy resistance.

I completed my postdoctoral training in the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at the Yale School of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Luisa Escobar-Hoyos, where I investigated how alternative splicing contributes to PDAC progression and resistance to targeted therapy (KRASi and MEKi). I earned my Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (major: Molecular Pharmacology) from the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP), University of Hawaii at Hilo, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Ghee T. Tan. My doctoral research examined how endophyte-derived tetrahydroanthraquinone small molecules modulate hormone-sensitive (ER⁺/PR⁺/HER2⁻) breast cancer subtype's cellular signaling to suppress tumor growth. I also hold a Master of Pharmacy (MPHARM) degree from the Pharmacy Discipline, Khulna University, in Bangladesh.

My career spans both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, and I am deeply committed to student-centered learning, scientific mentorship, and advancing translational oncology research to improve therapeutic outcomes.