Biography:

I am cured professional with a versatile experience in public and private R&D industry in Australia and Pakistan with above 13 years of experience in agro-ecological research. I have a broad range of skills including studies on population dynamics, field ecology and adaptive research in the field of plant protection. More recently, have been involved in a project on invasive pest elucidating role of chemicals mediating pinewood nematode’s interaction with symbiotic fungi in China.

I have a PhD degree in Biological Sciences received in 2013 from The University of Queensland, Australia. My core competencies are in the field of Ecology especially in Insect – Fungal Associations in natural and stored grain ecosystems. Furthermore, in 2016-2017, I had been awarded the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) – President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) for postdoctoral research at the State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, CAS Institute of Zoology, Beijing China. I investigated chemical basis of interactions between pinewood nematode and the ophiostomatoid fungal species that are associated with each other and are the major players in pine wilt disease endemic in China and USA.

I started my professional career as Agriculture Officer in the Department of Agriculture Extension and Adaptive Research, Government of Punjab, Pakistan in 2004. There, I was involved in field extension and have demonstrated sustainable farming techniques to the local farming communities. Later, I opted for R&D and worked as Technical Development Officer in Syngenta Pakistan Ltd for 1.5 years before switching to a (Zarka’asht – Dadex Eternit Limited) providing services on High Efficiency Irrigation Systems in Pakistan. I also worked as Technical Assistant for Queensland Department of Primary Industries (Now: Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI)), Brisbane, Australia.

I have published more than 25 manuscripts in reputed journals (ISI Indexed; total IF >45; h-Index = 11; i10 Index = 11) and have presented works in International Conferences. Moreover, I have successfully acquired a total of PKR 7.061 million worth of research projects either completed or ongoing, while the applications for a total of PKR 24.07 million are in evaluation phase. I am serving as a reviewer for more than 15 journals since 2014.

During my career as Assistant Professor, I have supervised four MS and four BS research projects. The students evaluated my performance in top 90^th percentile in each semester. I had been involved in departmental administrative committees throughout my career. While at the same time I have always paid much attention to my career growth and professional development. I have successfully completed several training certifications among which, ELTeach™ TPK Certification and Master Trainer Certification from HEC Pakistan are the prominent one.