Amna Siddiqui
Research Fellow
Amna Siddiqui is a neuroscience researcher with a strong academic background and a passion for advancing mental health and neuroscience research. She holds a Master's in Neurosciences from the NEURASMUS program with joint degrees from VU Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Charite Universitatsmedizin, Berlin, Germany. Amna's educational journey began with a bachelor’s degree in Biosciences from COMSATS, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Throughout her academic journey, Amna has actively participated in numerous research projects, demonstrating her profound knowledge and expertise across different areas of neuroscience. Notably, she performed clinical data analysis within an old-age psychiatry clinic, focusing on patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for late-life depression. Additionally, Amna conducted cutting-edge experimental epileptology using an animal model, specifically studying the characterization of hippocampal cells. Furthermore, she delved genetic association studies, investigating Pakistani patients with diabetic retinopathy during her bachelor’s degree.
Prior to her current role, Amna worked in a digital mental health start-up, where she played a vital role in research and development for the company aimed at fostering emotional well-being. Her involvement spanned various projects, such as advancing children's emotional resilience through video literacy and exploring the role of emotional resilience in countering violent extremism. Additionally, she served as an editor for a digital magazine dedicated to emotional preventive care, curating enlightening content on subjects like stress management, emotional resilience, childhood trauma, narcissism, and grief.
In addition to her previous role, Amna also took on a consultant role with Aga Khan University (AKU), where she contributed to a systematic review on women's mental health. Through this role, she applied her research skills to enhance the understanding of mental health interventions in the region. Currently, Amna serves as a Research Fellow at the Brain and Mind Institute, AKU, Karachi. In her current position, she plays an integral role in the conception and execution of various research projects, while also actively contributing to BMI's service delivery and educational initiatives. Amna's commitment to advancing neuroscience research and advocating for mental health fuels her work at BMI.
