The jump from local classroom to a global innovation hub is rarely a straight line. It is a journey often paved with equal parts ambition and uncertainty, just like the journey of young Iffah Aziz.
In the fast-paced biotech corridors of South San Francisco, Iffah Aziz, a Research Associate II specialising in Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) works to ensure that the medicines of tomorrow are both effective and safe.
The Science of Making an Impact
Iffah’s interest in science wasn’t an overnight revelation. While she initially wanted to pursue medicine, she eventually discovered that her true calling lay behind the scenes where life-saving treatments are created.
“I’ve always wanted to do something that could make a real impact on people’s lives,” she explains. This pursuit led her to the University of California San Diego to study Neurobiology. Today, her work in DMPK is essentially about mapping the journey of a drug through the human body, learning how it is absorbed, where it goes and how it eventually leaves one’s body.
In the lab, Iffah has learned that progress is rarely about instant success. “People often imagine science as very precise and predictable but a lot of the time, things don’t work the way you expect. Failure is actually a big part of the process,” she notes. “Learning how to sit with that and figure out why is where most of the growth happens.”
Finding Belonging in a New World
Moving from Malaysia to sunny-California-lifestyle was a massive shift. Beyond the change in scenery, Iffah had to learn how to navigate a high-pressure environment of the biotech industry as a young woman of colour.
She admits there were many moments where she felt the need to “prove” she belonged. However, she eventually realised that belonging isn’t a gift but rather something you build over time. “It feels like carrying a piece of home with me into spaces where I don’t always see people like me,” she says. “There’s pride in that but also a responsibility to show that we belong in these spaces too.”
This was also something that reflected during her time as a student where she took on a leadership role in the National Assembly of Malaysian Students in America (NAMSA) as Director of Welfare. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she pioneered the MAHASISWA initiative, a project that provided mental health support, care packages and a sense of community for Malaysian students who were isolated abroad.
Lessons from Her Journey
For Iffah, the hardest part of living abroad isn’t the complex science. It’s the “invisible” challenges like the loneliness of missing family milestones and learning to navigate life on her own. Yet, these experiences have taught her a resilience that she carries into her work every day.
Keep Showing Up, No Matter What
Iffah views her career not just as a personal achievement but as a bridge. Through the MyHeart network, she hopes to show other Malaysians that global expertise and national identity go hand in hand.
“I thought maybe my story could resonate with someone or even help in some small way,” she says of her decision to join and share her story on MyHeart. For Iffah, the goal is to stay consistent, to keep showing up and to make sure that Malaysian talent continues to have a voice in the global scientific community.
A Future Built on Purpose
Iffah’s story is a reminder that you don’t need a perfect plan to start. You just need the courage of taking that first step.
If you are a Malaysian working or studying abroad with a story you think could inspire other Malaysians, join our community and be a MyHeart member today.
