Professor Dr. Jafri Malin Abdullah studied in Sekolah Menengah Sains Bukit Mertajam and SMS Kelantan, Pengkalan Chepa and Leederville Technical College, Perth, Western Australia and the University of Western Australia. He graduated later with an MD from the School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia in 1986. In 1994, he was awarded the Diplomate Certification of Specialization in Neurosurgery from the University of Ghent, Belgium. He obtained a Ph.D (Magna Cum Laude) from the same university in 1995. 

He is currently Professor of Neurosciences and the Chairman of Brain and Behaviour Cluster, School of Medical Sciences, USM. He was awarded the prestigious Young National Malaysian Scientist Award in 1999 and Top Research Scientist Award, Academy Science Malaysia in 2013 both by the Prime Minister of that period. Part of his cluster’s research are focused on new treatments in the field of  neurooncology, medicinal chemistry in the field of biodegradable wafer antibiotics, drugs for movement disorders, CNS tuberculosis, epilepsy and pain as well as ethnopharmacology. Together with the Transcranial Magnetic stimulation facilities and complete behaviour lab, his other cluster concentrates on comparative as well as neuropsychology and behavioral neurosciences.

Besides being responsible in setting up labs for functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, high density electroencephalography, neurogenetics, rodent animal behavior, electrophysiology, stem cell culture and primary cell laboratories his most recently research activity is in the field of neuroinformatics via Malaysia's first Human Brain Mapping Project within Precision Medicine Academy Science initiative and Malaysian Government lead STIE-neurotechnologies. Professor Dr Jafri has 294 publications in Scopus and has a H-Index of 23.He also is founder with Associate Prof Dr Durriyah of Universiti Malaya a Malaysian Brain Mind Neuroscience Research Foundation established in late 2017.

He is the Chief Editor of the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences and is editorial board member/International editor of 9world wide neuroscience/neurosurgery journals.He graduated more than 70 neurosurgeons, neurologists& neuroscientists via the Masters of Surgery (Neurosurgery), Advance Master Internal Medicine (Neurology), Master of Science (Neuroscience) and PhD Neuroscience,Integrated Doctor of Neurosciences Programme as well as the first joint  Clinical Psychology/Clinical Neurospychology program and South East Asia's first Cognitive Neurosciences Programme. Professor Dato’ Dr. Jafri has with USM established more than 20 neuroscience clubs in secondary and primary schools in Malaysia and is the Malaysian coordinator for International Brain Bee Competition.He is also on the Advisory Board of IYNA,USA https://youthneuro.org/about/team/ since it's establishment as well as Simply Neuroscience Advisor https://www.simplyneuroscience.org/advising-program