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. Abid A, Ahmed H, Saeed Z, Dar AR, Zameer M, Mehnaz S, Shahid I. 2024. Biocontrol potential of Bacillus sp. against indigenous fungal phytopathogens of potato and sugarcane. Archives of Phytopathology and Plant Protection (in press; Impact Factor = 1.0)
2. Ilyas S, Mehnaz S, Machado S. 2024. Silent threats of 21st Century: Microplastic contamination of agroecosystems and its implications for the food chain toxicity. Environmental Sustainability, 7: 261-264. (Impact Factor = 3) click here
3. Idrees S., Mehnaz S., Aftab F. 2024. An assessment of application methods of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) for their growth promoting attributes in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid). Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. (Impact Factor = 2.66) click here
4. Mukhtar, S Zahra Shah H, Mehnaz S, Malik KA. 2024. Isolation and characterization of plant growth promoting and metal resistant archaea associated with the rhizosphere of Salsola stocksii and Atriplex amnicola. Geomicrobiology Journal, 41(7): 755-768. (Impact Factor = 2.2) click here
5. Zameer M, Shahid I, Saleem RSZ, Baig DN, Zareen M, Malik KA, Mehnaz S. 2024. Assessment of anticancer and antimicrobial potential of bioactive metabolites and optimization of culture conditions of Pseudomonas aurantiaca PB-St2 for higher yields. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology (in press; Impact factor = 2.8)
6. Shoaib A, Shafique H, Javed S, Malik B, Mehnaz S. 2024. Iron supplemented alginate beads of Pseudomonas chlororaphis improves charcoal rot disease resistance and productivity in the tomato plants. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 43:4038-4061. (Impact factor = 4.8) click here
7. 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, 30: 49-66 (Impact Factor = 3.5) click here
8. 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) click here
9. Khaliq Z, Mukhtar S, Zareen M, Mehnaz S, Malik 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): (Impact Factor=1.1) click here
10. 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, 11, 100325 (Impact Factor = 5.0) click here

Books

1. Rhizotrophs:   plant   growth   promotion    to    bioremediation. 2017. (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 click here
2. Bioformulations: for Sustainable 2016. (Eds.) N. Arora, S. 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 click here