Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed
Afox fellow 2025
Dr. Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed is a Molecular Geneticist, Biomedical Scientist, and Genetic Counseling Practitioner dedicated to advancing genomic medicine in Africa. He holds a BSc in Biotechnology from Manipal University, an MSc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Groningen, and a PhD in Medical Genetics from the University Medical Center Groningen. His doctoral research focused on applying next-generation sequencing for diagnosing genetic diseases, and he later expanded into CRISPR-based strategies for SCD.
He is currently a Lecturer and Research Scientist at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), where he teaches molecular biology and human genetics, supervises postgraduate research, and co-leads efforts to establish genetic diagnostic pipelines. His research interests include gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease, pharmacogenomics in African populations, and rare disease identification in Tanzania.
A trained genetic counselor, Dr. Zahir co-founded the African Genetic Counsellors Association (AGCA) and serves as Secretary General of the Tanzania Human Genetics Organization (THGO). He is also Chair of the Young Investigators Forum of the African Society of Human Genetics, Training Workgroup Lead for the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative, and a Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow (Class of 2025). He completed his postdoctoral Glocal Fellowship at UCSF and MUHAS.