Fatima Enam (PhD ’19 chem engr) has been named a 2021 Iowa State University Alumni Association STATEment Maker.

The honor recognizes Iowa State alumni 34 years or under whose professional and personal accomplishments have made differences in their own lives, the lives of others, their communities, and their professions – through ambitious efforts that reflect the scholarly, entrepreneurial, or service-oriented spirit of an Iowa State University education.

From the ISUAA award announcement: 

Dedicated. That is the word that best describes Fatima Enam

Fatima has two goals: to combine her passion for medical research with her passion for mentoring the next generation of engineers and biologists. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, working in a lab dedicated to revealing mechanisms underlying gut microbiota-diet dynamics.

As she studies the underlying principles of the highly competitive and dynamic human gut microbiota, she hopes to unlock ways to integrate exogenous microbes into a pre-existing, complex microbiota. Her research is funded in part by the Chan Zuckerburg Biohub and a Jump Start Award for Excellence in Research from Stanford University.

While at Iowa State University, Fatima was regularly recognized with awards in both research and teaching excellence. Even early in her career, she is already an accomplished academic writer and presenter. In addition, she was recently named one of MIT’s Chemical Rising Stars, a Leader of Tomorrow by the 2020 GapSummit, and was selected as a delegate to the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany.

When it comes to good preparation, Fatima credits much of her success to her academic training and research experience – both at universities and in industry settings. These experiences have provided her with an excellent background in multiple biological disciplines, including molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, and engineering.