Zahir Ali is interested in developing tools for plant genome engineering, using specifically the CRISPR/Cas system. He is also exploring the potential of plants to be used as bio-factories for the production of various bio products and drugs of therapeutic importance.
Selected Publications
Fusion of the Cas9 endonuclease and the VirD2 relaxase facilitates homology-directed repair for precise genome engineering in rice, Zahir Ali1, et al, Communication Biology, 2020.
RNA virus interference via CRISPR/Cas13a system in plants, Rashid Aman*, Zahir Ali*, Haroon Butt*et al, Genome Biology, 2019.
CRISPR/Cas9-mediated viral interference in plants, Zahir Ali et al, Genome biology, 2015.
Efficient Virus-Mediated Genome Editing in Plants using the CRISPR/Cas9 System, Zahir Ali et al, Molecular Plant, 2015.
Education
PhD, Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Gyeongsang National University, South Korea
MS, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Bcc, University of Peshawar, Pakistan
Professional Profile
2018-present: Research Scientist, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
2013-2018: Postdoctoral fellow, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
2003-2007: Lecturer, Department of Biotechnology, University of Malakand, Pakistan
Scientific and Professional Membership
American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)
Awards
Outstanding Project Award 2011, Brain Korea 21 Program
World Class University grant for Research Scientist (South Korea)
Brain Korea 21, PhD Scholarship 2007-2012 (South Korea)
