Professor Muzlifah Haniffa

Born in Penang, Malaysia, Muzlifah Haniffa found her early fascination with science through interests in space, before gravitating toward a career as a clinician-scientist. She completed her medical training in the UK—earning a BSc and MBBCh from the University of Wales College of Medicine in 1999—and became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians in 2002. Further specialization included a diploma in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 2007, followed by a PhD from Newcastle University in 2009, and completion of her clinical dermatology training in 2010.
Combining clinical expertise with scientific rigor, Professor Haniffa serves as a Consultant Dermatologist at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and holds the prestigious titles of Professor of Dermatology & Immunology at Newcastle University, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Science, and Lister Institute Prize Fellow.
In 2016, she received a Lister Institute Research Prize Fellowship—£200,000 of funding to support her groundbreaking research on human mononuclear phagocytes. Prof. Haniffa’s lab specializes in the functional heterogeneity of mononuclear phagocytes—vital white blood cells such as dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages that orchestrate immune responses and tissue homeostasis.
She has harnessed single-cell genomics to map how these immune cells develop and operate across human tissues—work that bridges clinical understanding of disease with fundamental biology.
Global Collaborative Leadership: Human Cell Atlas
A prominent figure in the international Human Cell Atlas initiative, Prof. Haniffa plays a key role in creating the Human Developmental Cell Atlas—mapping immune system development across organs and prenatal tissues. Collaborating with the Wellcome Sanger Institute and others, her team has shared open-access developmental datasets via portals like the Development Cell Atlas.
Her work has profoundly shifted our understanding of immune development:
Fetal Hematopoiesis: She mapped the human fetal liver’s immune cell composition and identified developmental-potency changes in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)—critical for transplantation and regenerative medicine.
Bone Marrow Development & Down Syndrome: She characterized fetal bone marrow cell dynamics and revealed how Down syndrome alters HSC potential and bone marrow microenvironments—a novel insight into developmental disease mechanisms. Yolk Sac Functionality: In 2023, her lab described how the yolk sac supports multi-organ hematopoiesis, expanding our knowledge of early immune system formation.
Maternal–Fetal Interface: Her group performed one of the first single-cell reconstructions of the maternal–fetal interface, shedding light on immune interactions in pregnancy and implications for miscarriage or pre-eclampsia.
Skin Inflammation: She discovered developmental pathways re-emerge in adult skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, proposing a paradigm where developmental programs are co-opted in inflammatory disease
Kidney and COVID-19 Research: Her contributions extend to childhood kidney cancers—connecting carcinoma cells to their healthy counterparts—and investigations of immune responses in COVID-19
Prof. Haniffa’s scientific leadership is well recognized:
Foulkes Foundation Medal (2019) for mapping immune cell development and maternal–fetal interface.
Election to the Academy of Medical Sciences (2020).
Acteria Prize (2018) from the European Federation of Immunological Societies.
Foulkes Foundation Medal, ACTERIA Prize, Lister Prize, LEO Pharma Silver Award (2013), British Society for Investigative Dermatology Young Investigator (2012), Sue McCarthy Prize runner-up (2009)
2025 Cheryll Tickle Medal by the British Society for Developmental Biology for her contributions to developmental immunology.
Beyond research, Haniffa shapes the scientific ecosystem. She co-leads the Human Development Cell Atlas, chairs panels for Wellcome Career Development Awards, serves as Trustee for the Foulkes Foundation, sits on committees for the Lister Institute and Academy of Medical Sciences, and champions open science, collaboration, and diversity in research culture.
She also leads public engagement through “Inside Skin”—a Wellcome-funded science-and-art initiative exploring skin and immunity.
Despite an illustrious career, Prof. Haniffa remains approachable. Describing herself with warmth, she notes: “I am a proud Mum… always trying new recipes… children say I have 100 ways of cooking cabbage.” Her grounded, human approach underscores the clarity and collaboration at the heart of her work.