Dr Junaid Kashir is a Scientific Advisory Board member for Taranis Capital's BioTech Growth Fund and an Associate Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi.

He is a reproductive biology expert specialising in PLCζ (phospholipase C zeta) and embryonic development research. He leads groundbreaking lab-grown halal meat and FBS (fetal bovine serum) alternatives research programmes. His previous positions include roles at Oxford, Cardiff, the NHS, and Alfaisal University.

His pioneering research contributes directly to the WISE Initiative's mission of leveraging scientific advances for commercial and governmental applications in the GCC.