Fiaz Rasul

Dr. Fiaz Rasul is working as crop scientist at BioAtlantis Ltd., Ireland. He earned his Master of Philosophy degree in Biotechnology from National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Pakistan. As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early-Stage Researcher under the European Industrial Doctorate Program, he did his PhD in Molecular Biology at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam. His PhD research was centered on understanding the mechanisms of biostimulant-based molecular priming to induce protection against drought (and other abiotic stresses).

Thereafter, Dr. Rasul continued his research in the same field, focusing on the induction of physiological and cellular defence priming in plants using seaweed-derived natural priming agents, i.e., biostimulants, and on elucidating the molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways underlying defence priming in crop species.

As part of the CropPrime project, he is seconded to the Department of Molecular Stress Physiology at CPSBB, Plovdiv, where he is conducting experimental studies to validate the efficacy of selected biostimulant products. The work focuses on assessing their capacity to prime crop plants for improved tolerance to abiotic stress, promote rapid and vigorous early establishment, enhance yield performance, and improve crop quality. In parallel, he is involved in the functional characterization of priming- and growth-related genes, with particular emphasis on candidate genes potentially involved in stress signalling, stress adaptation, and the mitigation of stress-induced growth inhibition in crop species.