Mahmoud Sayed

I have substantial experience in guiding and coordinating large-scale research groups and programs related to genetic resources, molecular genetics, molecular breeding and Molecular biology. My M.Sc. was in genetic resources and centered on wild relatives (Aegilops sp.) of wheat and my Ph.D. was in molecular breeding with a focus on identification of molecular markers for selection of disease resistance genes in barley (Scald and powdery mildew).

I worked previously for over 20 years at the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and served as Head of Biotechnology Department and Vice Director of the Biotechnology Centre at Aleppo University during the period between 2005-2016. Consequently, I have a deep knowledge of molecular crop genetics specifically in cereals, genetic resource identification (Aegilops sp.) as well as genetic linkage mapping for qualitative and quantitative traits (QTLs) of Biotic and Abiotic stress, plant pathology, DNA marker Assisted Selection (MAS) methods and cloning procedures for transformation.

I have over 25 publications in international and national refereed journals since 2002, authored three textbooks for graduate and postgraduate students, and co-authored many other books on topics relevant to this post. Additionally, I have worked as a visiting scientist at the RISOE National Laboratory and the KVL, Copenhagen, Denmark, then as Research Fellow in the Institute of Molecular Cell and System Biology at the University of Glasgow in Scotland from 2016-2018 working on genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 techniques in Arabidopsis, barley and brassica. Currently, I am Research Fellow in the University of Hertfordshire in UK working on brassica genomics and plant protection.