Nagham Farah, Phd

Nagham Farah (also known as Nagham Khouri-Farah) is a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Damascus in 2010. In 2011, she was awarded a scholarship from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) to pursue graduate studies in France.

Ranked first in her class, she received an equivalency to the French Master’s degree from the doctoral school in Toulouse in 2012, followed by an official Master’s degree from the University of Toulouse III in Genes, Cells, and Developmental Biology. Her master’s research focused on the neuro-glial switch and cell fate determination in the developing spinal cord.

 

Dr. Farah expanded her research experience at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, where she explored muscle development and regeneration. In 2016, she joined the laboratory of Dr. George Wu at UConn Health, contributing to the development of liver-targeted therapeutic strategies.

 

She entered the Biomedical Science Ph.D. program at UConn Health in 2018. Co-mentored by Dr. James Li and Dr. Justin Cotney, her doctoral research investigated the molecular mechanisms guiding mammalian cerebellar and craniofacial development. After completing her Ph.D. in 2024, Nagham joined Dr. Flora Vaccarino’s lab at the Yale Child Study Center (YCSC), School of Medicine, where she now studies the molecular basis of neurodevelopmental disorders using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived patterned brain organoids.

 

Alongside her scientific work, Nagham is an active composer, lyricist, and songwriter. Her name, Nagham Farah — which means “Melody of Joy” in Arabic — reflects a lifelong connection to music and expression.

Raised in Syria and having left the country shortly before the onset of war, her creative work remains deeply connected to people, place, memory, and emotional continuity. Along the way, she gathered stories of resilience, love, and loss that continue to shape her creativity. The contrast between the beautiful memories she carried from her homeland and the devastation of the conflict became a wellspring for her music and poetry. Her artistic practice exists as a distinct yet complementary path to her scientific work, reflecting a sustained dedication to both rigorous inquiry and creative expression.