Kaniz Fatema was born and raised in Bangladesh and earned her Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) degree from the University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC). She then pursued her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at Idaho State University, where she focused on the genetics of osteosarcoma (a pediatric bone cancer).
Under the supervision of Dr. Jared Barrott at ISU, she studied the correlation between the loss of the tumor suppressor gene ARID1A and increased genomic instability with tumor aggressiveness. Following this, she conducted post-doctoral research at the National Cancer Institute Bethesda Campus, where she explored the epigenetics of prostate cancer under the guidance of Dr. David Takeda. In June 2024, she joined Gupta's lab as a post-doctoral research associate, focusing on various projects related to bladder cancer research. She is excited to be part of a program that integrates basic and translational research under the guidance of Dr. Gupta, following a 'bench to bedside' approach.