Dr Golnaz Rafiei

Dr Golnaz Rafiei is a genetic nutritionist, scientist and educator with an academic and professional background spanning genetics, nutrition, biotechnology, molecular biology and cell biology.

She holds a PhD in Genetics from Cardiff University, where her doctoral research investigated the role of the WEE1 gene in cell-cycle regulation and its interactions with other important cell-cycle regulators. Her research has contributed to peer-reviewed scientific publications in areas including plant cell biology, cell-cycle regulation and molecular biology.

Dr Rafiei has worked across academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and nutrition settings. Her professional experience includes scientific roles at Lonza and Syngenta, research and laboratory positions in biotechnology, and nutrition practice involving the interpretation of advanced genetic testing in relation to nutrition.

Education has also been a significant part of her career. She has taught Genetics and Biochemistry at university level, worked as a laboratory teaching assistant at Cardiff University School of Biosciences, trained laboratory professionals and contributed to public science communication. She is also the co-author of an academic Biochemistry book developed to support postgraduate entrance examination preparation.

Her broader science communication experience includes contributions to health-related media projects and discussions designed to make scientific subjects, including genetics, nutrition and metabolic health, more accessible to the public.

As a member of the Kiam Clinic Educational Advisory Board, Dr Rafiei contributes her multidisciplinary scientific and educational experience to the development of professional learning and educational initiatives.

Dr Rafiei’s research interests span genetics, molecular and cellular biology, nutrition and biotechnology. Her academic research has particularly focused on cell-cycle regulation, the WEE1 gene and its molecular interactions, as well as tissue and cell culture.

Her wider research experience includes plant and mammalian cell culture, biotechnology approaches to improving nutritional characteristics of plant materials, secondary metabolite production, and applications of molecular and cellular techniques in pharmaceutical and biotechnology environments.

More recently, her professional interests have also developed around the relationship between genetics and nutrition, including how genetic information may contribute to understanding individual nutritional needs and metabolic health.