From Baghdad to JCU, and beyond

Growing up in Iraq, he was fascinated by science and the hidden logic of the natural world. That curiosity eventually brought him to Australia and James Cook University, where he completed a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology under Professor Alex Loukas.

Today, Rafid is a Research Fellow in Immunology at Johns Hopkins Medicine in the United States, where he is helping develop a promising new approach to treating Type 1 Diabetes.

Along the way, he has received international recognition for his research, contributed to a patent application and helped advance work that is now moving toward human clinical trials.

Yet despite those achievements, Rafid traces much of his motivation back to a simple lesson from his father.

"My father was a soldier in Iraq," he says.

"He once told me that everything a soldier does is ultimately in service of protecting people.

"Science, he said, is no different - it is the most powerful tool we carry to help and heal our people."

"The journey from Baghdad to Cairns to Baltimore was not a roadmap I drew in advance – it was followed, one question at a time."

After completing his PhD at JCU in 2019, Rafid continued his research career internationally before joining Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.

His current work focuses on autoimmune diseases, immune regulation and translational immunology – understanding how the immune system can be harnessed to treat disease rather than simply manage its symptoms.

The research that has defined his time at Johns Hopkins centres on a naturally occurring antibody known as x-mAb.

Working alongside colleagues, Rafid helped identify how the antibody selectively targets the immune cells responsible for attacking insulin-producing cells in people with Type 1 Diabetes.

Current treatments help people manage the disease, but they do not stop the immune system from causing damage.

In preclinical models, however, x-mAb has shown the potential to do something remarkable.

"When we administered x-mAb in preclinical models, it reversed Type 1 Diabetes. Not managed it – reversed it," Rafid says.

The findings have attracted significant scientific attention and have been featured through Johns Hopkins Medicine communications as researchers work towards human clinical trials.

The research has also resulted in a submitted patent, peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and two Johns Hopkins Young Investigator Awards.

Alongside his research, Rafid mentors students and trainees and has completed a Certificate of Teaching through Johns Hopkins.

While Johns Hopkins may be where Rafid is making headlines today, he credits much of his success to the foundation built at James Cook University.

When it came time to choose where to undertake his PhD, one factor stood above all others.

"The decision came down to one name: Professor Alex Loukas," Rafid says.

"His work in helminth immunology - studying how parasitic worms reshape the host immune system - was unlike anything else being done at the time, and it spoke directly to questions I was already asking about immune regulation and unconventional biology."

JCU offered the opportunity to work alongside one of the world's leading researchers in the field while developing skills in experimental design, immunology and translational research.

"My years at JCU were foundational," he says.

"It was there that I first became drawn to unconventional immune mechanisms - to the cells and processes that don't quite fit the textbook - and to the question of what those outliers might reveal about disease."

Coming from a background where access to advanced research infrastructure had been more limited, arriving at JCU was transformative.

"The people of Cairns were exceptionally friendly and supportive and that spirit of warmth and generosity has followed me wherever I have gone in Australia."

He remembers long hours in the laboratory, the excitement of discovery and the collaborative environment that encouraged students and researchers to share ideas and solve problems together.

Some of his strongest memories are not tied to major milestones, but to late nights in libraries and study spaces discussing data, troubleshooting experiments and supporting fellow researchers.

Those experiences helped shape not only his scientific skills but also his identity as a researcher.

"The immune system doesn't always do what we expect, and it's often in that gap between expectation and reality that the most important biology lives," he says.

"The questions worth pursuing rarely live in the most obvious places. Stay close to what genuinely puzzles you."

Today, Rafid continues to work at the forefront of immunology research at Johns Hopkins Medicine, helping advance therapies that may one day change how autoimmune diseases are treated.

His team is preparing to move towards human clinical trials of x-mAb, which could represent a new generation of highly targeted treatments that preserve healthy immune function while addressing the cells responsible for disease.

JCU's impact on Rafid's life extended well beyond his own career.

His wife, Dr Zainab Agha, also completed a PhD at JCU under the supervision of Professor Alex Loukas and continues to collaborate with Rafid on their research at Johns Hopkins. During her time in Australia, Zainab led research that successfully reversed Type 2 Diabetes in experimental models before bringing that expertise to the United States, where she has helped strengthen the translational aspects of the team's current work.

For the Al-Hallaf family, the graduation photograph they shared represents far more than an academic milestone.

"It represents a shared journey that began at JCU and continues today," Rafid says.

"JCU provided both of us with the scientific training, mentorship and opportunities that shaped our careers as immunologists."

Their sons, Ali and Mohammed, have grown up immersed in the world of science, attending conferences, research presentations and laboratory events. Both are now undertaking internships at Johns Hopkins and are considering careers in medicine themselves.

"JCU medical school is certainly one of the institutions they admire because of the profound impact JCU has had on our family's educational and research journey," Rafid says.

Reflecting on his journey, Rafid remains grateful for the mentors, colleagues and opportunities that helped shape his career.

He also hopes his story encourages students from all backgrounds to pursue their curiosity, even when the path ahead is unclear.

"What I had was curiosity, and mentors generous enough to help me follow it," he says.

"My own journey – from a country at war, to a tropical research campus in Australia, to one of the world's great medical institutions – is proof that science has room for all of us."