KAM-School of Life Sciences
Extension Number: 552
Office Number: S337

BRIEF PROFILE
Dr. Samina Mehnaz is a Professor of Microbiology at Kauser Abdulla Malik School of Life Sciences. She has 17 years of teaching and 33 years of research experience, in Microbiology, more specifically in the area of plant associated beneficial bacteria. She has been Post Doctorate Fellow at Ohio State University, USA; National Science & Engineering Research Council Fellow at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Bonn University and Freiburg University, Germany; and International Atomic Energy Agency Fellow at Katholic University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium. She has served as First Humboldt Ambassador Scientist for 6 years. Since 2020, she has been listed among top 2% highly cited researchers of the World. Her research interests include bioformulations for crops, bacterial metabolites, bioplastics and biodegradation of synthetic plastics. She has published eighty-one research articles and ten book chapters. She is Editor of two books published by Springer. She is Editor of Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection (Taylor & Francis); Associate Editor of Frontiers in Microbiology, Co-Editor of Environmental Sustainability (Springer Nature). She has reviewed around 350 manuscripts for more than 75 International Journals. She has supervised 21 BS, 25 MPhil and many PhD students as well.

EDUCATION

• PhD in Microbial Ecology, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
• MSc in Botany, Punjab University, Lahore
• BSc in Botany, Zoology & Chemistry, Queen Mary College, Lahore

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS
Her research is focused on environment friendly alternatives of agro-chemicals and synthetic plastics. More specifically improving soil health and fertility, and crop yield by providing microbes-based fertilizers and fungicides. In addition, working on microbial metabolites, screening them for their use in cure of diseases; using industrial and agriculture waste for bioplastic production by bacteria and degradation of synthetic plastics by bacteria and fungi.

Publications

1. Yaqoob SH, Shoaib A, Anwar A, Parveen S., Javed S, Mehnaz S. 2024. Seed biopriming with Ochrobactrum ciceri mediated defense responses in Zea mays (L.). against Fusarium rot. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants. (in press; Impact Factor=3.5)
2. Abbas R, Shahid I, Javed M, Malik KA, Mehnaz S. 2024. Contribution of mineral mobilizing fluorescent pseudomonads in growth promotion of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in nutrient deficient soil. South African Journal of Botany, 166C:88-96 (Impact Factor = 3.1)
3. Khaliq Z, Mukhtar S, Zareen M, Mehnaz S, Malik KA. 2024. Comparison of application method of PGPR-based biofertilizer on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth under climate control and field conditions. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 56(4): (in press; Impact Factor=1.1)
4. Shahid I, Batool S, Hassan M, Ismail H, Mehnaz S, Deeba F, Anwar M, Zulfiqar F, Iqbal R, Ali HM. 2024. A decade of progress in rhizo-engineering to exploit plant microbiome for salinity amelioration. Plant Stress (in press; Impact Factor = 5.0)
5. Dailin DJ, Low LZMI, Fuzi SFZM, Yenn TW, Manas NHA, Mehnaz S, El Enshasy HA. 2023. Pullulan production utilizing various carbon sources by Aureobasidium melanogenum DSM 2404 as biotherapeutic tool in biomedical applications. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 19 (SUPP 9): 263-268. 
6. Ali SM, Siddique Y, Mehnaz S, Sadiq MB. 2023. Extraction and characterization of starch from low-grade potatoes and formulation of gluten-free cookies containing modified potato starch. Heliyon, vol:9 (9): e19581 (Impact Factor = 4.0)
7. Shahid I, Han J, Hanook S, Borchers CH, El Enshasy HA., Mehnaz S.2023. Genome mining of Pseudomonas spp. hints towards the production of under-pitched secondary metabolites. 3Biotech, 13:182. (Impact Factor = 2.893) 
8. Shahid I, Raza RZ, Akbar A, Abbasi SW, Mehnaz S, Shoaib M, Jahangir M, Riasat A. 2023. In-silico evaluation of novel honokiol derivatives against breast cancer target protein LKB1. Anticancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 23(12):1388-1396 (Impact Factor = 2.505)
9. Kainat F., Ali M, Akbar A, Masih R, Mehnaz S, Sadiq MB. 2023. Ultrasonic extraction of phenolic compounds from eggplant peel and formulation of eggplant peel extract-enriched ice-cream. Journal of Food Quality, 2023: 3267119 (Impact Factor = 3.2)
10. Saeeda F., Iqtidar M.M., Khan M.R., Sayyed R.Z., Mehnaz S, Abbas S, Sadiq MB, Masih R. 2022. Optimization of gelatin extraction from chicken feet and the development of gelatin based active packaging for the shelf-life extension of fresh grapes. Sustainability14 (13), 7881. (Impact Factor= 3.889) 
11. Ijaz S, Vivian M, Maqbool A, Irfan M, Mehnaz S, Malik KA, Bashir A. 2022. Stacking of Hordeum vulgare vacuolar sodium/proton antiporter and a bar gene in wheat for salt and herbicide tolerance. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology, 25, 451-464. (Impact Factor = 1.02) 
12. Badar A., Mukhtar S., Mehnaz S., and Malik KA. 2022. Microbial diversity analysis of Hudiara Drain wastewater using culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches. Environmental Sustainability, 5: 65-76 
13. Azhar F., Mehnaz S., and Sadiq B. 2022. Probiotic characterization of Enterococcus spp. isolated from raw goat milk. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. 65: (In press: Impact Factor = 0.797) 
14. Mukhtar S., Farooq M., Baig DN., Amin I., Lazarovits G., Malik KA., Yuan ZC, and Mehnaz S. 2021. Whole genome analysis of Gluconacetobacter azotocaptans DS1 and its beneficial effects on plant growth. 3 Biotech, 11:450 (Impact Factor = 2.406)
15. Sheikh M., Mehnaz S., Sadiq B. 2021. Prevalence of fungi in fresh tomatoes and their control by Chitosan and sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel essential oil coating. Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture,101(15): 6248-6257. (Impact Factor = 3.638) 
16. Arora NK, Dilfuza E, Mehnaz S, Wen-Jun L, and Mishra I. 2021. Editorial: Salt tolerant rhizobacteria: for better productivity and remediation of saline soils. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12: 848. (Impact Factor = 5.246) 
17. Mukhtar S, Mehnaz S, Malik KA. 2021. Comparative study of the rhizosphere and root endosphere microbiomes of Cholistan Desert plants. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, 618742. (Impact Factor = 5.246)
18. Shahid I, Han J, Hanook S, Malik KA, Borchers CH, and Mehnaz S. 2021. Profiling of metabolites of Bacillus spp. and their application in sustainable plant growth promotion and biocontrol. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5:605195 (Impact Factor = 5.005)
19. Shahid I, Han J, Hardie D, Baig D.N., Malik K.A., Borchers C.H., and Mehnaz S. 2021. Profiling of antimicrobial metabolites of plant growth promoting Pseudomonas spp. isolated from different plant hosts. 3 Biotech. 11:48 (Impact factor= 2.406) 
20. Jaleel K., Ehsan N., Mukhtar S., Mehnaz S and Malik K.A. 2021. Metaproteomics: An emerging tool for the identification of proteins from extreme environments. Environmental Sustainability, 4(1): 39-50. 
21. Karimi N., Tapeh, E.M.G., Amini J., Mehnaz S., and Zarea M. J. 2021. Effect of Azospirillum zeae and seed priming with zinc, manganese and auxin on growth and yield parameters of wheat, under dryland farming. Agricultural Research. 10 (1): 44-55. (Impact Factor = 1.4) 

Books

1. Rhizotrophs: plant growth promotion to bioremediation. (Ed.) S. Mehnaz; Springer Science + Buisness Media Singapore Pvt Ltd. Hard cover ISBN: 978-981-10-4861-6; ebook ISBN: 978-981-104862-3; DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-4862-3
2. Bioformulations: for Sustainable Agriculture. 2016. (Eds.) N. Arora, Mehnaz, R. Balestrini, Springer, India. Hard cover ISBN: 978-81-322-2777-9; ebook ISBN:978-81-322-2779-3; DOI:10.1007/978-81-322-27793