Muhammad is currently a PhD candidate having been selected for the Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship 2023-2024. His passion, sparked as the child of a farmer, has taken him across the globe and landed him an academic career researching the climate impact on crops.
I, Muhammad Saeed, am currently pursuing a Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship with Dr Gareth Norton from the Plant and Environment Interaction Group at the University of Aberdeen.
I am constantly troubled by questions in my mind; how can we tackle the environmental challenges that people are not ready to even accept? How can I contribute to finding sustainable solutions for environment-mediated problems, particularly in the agriculture sector? Being born to a farmer’s family, I have witnessed these problems while growing up. I started to find some answers when I began my bachelor’s in environmental sciences. It was a time when my passion got direction and enlightenment.
During my undergraduate and multiple internships at notable organizations like Ayub Agriculture Research Institute (AARI) in Pakistan, I began to understand the depth of problems that have not only reduced the sustainable production of cereal crops but made them unsafe for human consumption as well. Toxic contaminants are regularly consumed by people through contaminated drinking water and cereal crops. To move forward, I highlighted the toxic impacts of contaminants like arsenic on the neurological health of school children during my master’s degree in environmental sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan. Understanding outcomes, I began to wonder how we can control such calamity. Thus, my academic background and research intuition have fueled my passion for pursuing a doctorate in crop resilience under abiotic stress.
My doctorate research “Screening of arsenic-tolerant wheat varieties through arsenomics: a sustainable approach towards arsenic mitigation” has highlighted key factors responsible for arsenic resilience. Through the field experiments, I screened 110 wheat varieties and identified tolerant varieties and genomic regions (GWAS) responsible for controlling arsenic accumulation and yield (Saeed et al., 2022). I collaborated with Dr Maria Greger from Stockholm University in Sweden to understand tolerance mechanisms such as the ascorbate glutathione cycle at the phenomic level (Saeed et al., 2024a). To follow up, I worked on metabolomics in collaboration with Umea University (Sweden) to identify stress-responsive metabolites i.e., amino acids and pathways (glutathione) to alleviate arsenic stress (Saeed et al., 2024b). Furthermore, I worked on proteomics with Hubei University in China to understand variations at the protein level under arsenic stress in wheat (Saeed et al., 2024c).
However, there was still an urge to take it to the next level and do something more in this regard. At that time, I was blessed to be selected for the Commonwealth Split-Site PhD Scholarship 2023-2024 under the theme: “Strengthen resilience and response to crises.”
This opportunity has opened doors for me to explore molecular mechanisms responsible for developing tolerance in crops against arsenic using techniques like transcriptomics. I believe that such opportunities are massive in paving the way for the future since you get an exclusive chance to interact and work with well-established peers from around the world in your respective fields. Building upon my experience, I am eager to expand my research to explore climate-resilient crops using multi-omics, particularly under drought and heat stress.
I am also looking to work with the stakeholders, local organizations, and the government of Pakistan to achieve the commitment towards Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger and Good Health and Wellbeing. With the help of gained understanding, I want to be a guiding light for young researchers from Pakistan to build capacity at local and regional levels.
Apart from research, I have been traveling around the United Kingdom and visited some beautiful places like Edinburgh, Newcastle, London, Windsor Castle, Oxford, and Cromarty. I am amazed by the diverse cultural world that is prominent in the UK.
This is a joyful journey for me, and I am thankful to the Commonwealth Scholarship Organization and the UK government for inspiring young researchers like me to: “Dream it, Achieve it, and move to the next Goal.”
