Dr. Md. Nurealam Siddiqui                                                                                                                      Associate Professor                                                                                                                                Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology                                                                              Faculty of Agriculture                                                                                                                                        Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU)                                                                                                              Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh                                                                                                                                  Email: nuralambmb@gau.edu.bd

RESEARCH INTEREST:  

  • Plant biochemistry and abiotic stress physiology
  • Quantitative genetics, genomics and molecular breeding
  • Nutrient signaling on root system architecture
  • Regulation of root system architecture by the environment
  • High-throughput phenotyping
  • Functional characterization of the underlying candidate genes in crop plants.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCES:  

Postdoctoral Fellow                                                                                                                                                                           Institute: Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA                          Duration: April 2026 to April 2027                                                                                                                                                      Fellowship: Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri                                                                          Project title: Physiological and molecular mechanisms regulating root growth acclimation to water deficits in maize 

Postdoctoral Researcher                                                                                                                                                                 Institute: Institute for Plant Sciences of Montpellier (IPSiM), University of Montpellier, INRAE, Institut Agro,            Montpellier, France                                                                                                                                                                                Duration: December 2024 – November 2025                                                                                                                                    Fellowship: Make Our Planet Great Again (MOPGA) by French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Europe                                  Project title: Harnessing natural genetic diversity to identify the bases of beneficial crops to fight climate change

Research Assistant                                                                                                                                                                          Institute: Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, Germany                          Duration: October 2018 to October 2022                                                                                                                                            Fellowship: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)                                                                                                              Project title: Breeding Innovations in Wheat for Resilient Cropping Systems (BRIWECS)

Principle Investigator                                                                                                                                                                       Institute: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Lab, Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh                    Duration: February 2013 to till date                                                                                                                                                      Funding: RMC, UGC, Ministry of Science & Technology, People’s Republic of Bangladesh                                                    Research theme: Physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of plants exposed to changing environment

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES:

  • Associate Professor at Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, GAU since February 2022
  • Assistant Professor at Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, GAU from February 2015 to February 2022
  • Lecturer at Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, GAU from February 2013 to February 2015

EDUCATION:

  • PhD in Crop Molecular Genetics from the University of Bonn, Germany in 2022
  • Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from HSTU in 2012
  • Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in 2010.

SELECTED NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS:

Total Citations:>4000 , H-index: 26. Full list of publications, please visit: google scholar

  1. Siddiqui, M. N., Ambaw, A. M., Shrestha, A., Pandey, K., Teferi, T. J., Gabi, M. T., & Ballvora, A. (2025). Natural genetic variation in nodal root growth angle and anatomy underlies drought tolerance in bread wheat. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 106220.
  2. Siddiqui, M. N., Jahiu, M., Kamruzzaman, M., Sanchez‐Garcia, M., Mason, A. S., Léon, J., & Ballvora, A. (2024). Genetic control of root architectural traits under drought stress in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The Plant Genome, 17(2), e20463.
  3. Ghosh, P. K., Rahman, M. M., Saha, A. K., Ashrafuzzaman, M., Tofazzal Islam, M., & Siddiqui, M. N*. (2024). Mechanistic insight into the physiological and biochemical traits improvement by mycorrhiza biofertilization in soybean under phosphorus-starved conditions. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 1-14.
  4. Siddiqui, M.N., Pandey, K., Bhadhury, S.K., Sadeqi, B., Schneider, M., Stich, B., Léon, J., & Ballvora, A. (2023). Convergently selected NPF2.12 coordinates root growth and nitrogen use efficiency in wheat and barley. New Phytologist, 238: 2175-2193.
  5. Siddiqui, M.N., Melesech, T. G., Abebaw, A.M., Tesfaye, J.T., Dadshani, S., Léon, J., & Ballvora, A. (2023). Genetic dissection of candidate genes underlying root phenotypic plasticity for adaptation to drought in bread wheat. BMC Genomic Data 24(1), 1-16.
  6. Siddiqui, M.N., Schneider, M., Barbosa, M., Léon, J., & Ballvora, A. (2022). Natural selection under conventional and organic cropping systems affect root architecture in spring barley. Scientific Reports, 12, 20095.
  7. Siddiqui, M.N., Tesfaye, J.T., Abebaw, A.M., Melesech, T. G., Koua, P., Léon, J., & Ballvora, A. (2021). New drought-adaptive loci underlying candidate genes on wheat chromosome 4B with improved photosynthesis and yield responses. Physiologia Plantarum, 173 (4): 2166-2180.
  8. Siddiqui, M. N., Léon, J., Naz, A. A., & Ballvora, A. (2021). Genetics and genomics of root system variation in adaptation to drought stress in cereal crops. Journal of Experimental Botany, 72(4), 1007-1019.
  9. Siddiqui, M. N., Mostofa, M. G., Rahman, M. M., Tahjib-Ul-Arif, M., Das, A. K., Mohi-Ud-Din, M., & Tran, L. S. P. (2021). Glutathione improves rice tolerance to submergence: insights into its physiological and biochemical mechanisms. Journal of Biotechnology, 325, 109-118.
  10. Siddiqui, M. N., Mostofa, M. G., Akter, M. M., Srivastava, A. K., Sayed, M. A., Hasan, M. S., & Tran, L. S. P. (2017). Impact of salt-induced toxicity on growth and yield-potential of local wheat cultivars: oxidative stress and ion toxicity are among the major determinants of salt-tolerant capacity. Chemosphere, 187, 385-394.

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS:

  1. Postdoc Fellowship as Postdoc Researcher at the Division of Plant Science & Technology in University of Missouri, Columbia, USA in 2026.
  2. Make Our Planet Great Again (MOPGA) Visiting Fellowship 2024 by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
  3. Gold Medal Award 2023 by Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) in Biological Sciences (Junior Group) for outstanding research accomplishment among Bangladeshi young scientists.
  4. Associate Fellow (Elected by scientific contribution) at Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) in 2023.
  5. Travel Grant Award by the International Plant Phenotyping Network (IPNN) to attend the International Society of Root Research 12th International Symposium in Leipzig, Germany from June 2 – June 7, 2024.
  6. New Phytologist Next Generation Scientist 2023 travel grant by the New Phytologist Foundation and National University of Singapore.
  7. BSMRAU-TA Research Impact Award 2022 for excellent research impact by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University Teachers Association (BSMRAUTA).
  8. BSMRAU-TA Research Award 2021 for outstanding research accomplishment by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University Teachers Association (BSMRAUTA).
  9. DAAD outstanding involvement award 2021 among international students studying at German Universities by German Academic Exchange Service.
  10. German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Fellowship (June 2018 – Sep. 2022), PhD candidate, INRES-Plant Breeding, University of Bonn, Germany
  11. NSICT Fellowship (2011-2012) by Ministry of National, Science and Information and Technology, People’s Republic of Bangladesh
  12. Visiting Fellowship 2011 “Invitation Program for Science and Technological Human Resources under the Japan- East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) 2011” by Japan International Cooperation Centre.
  13. Dean List Award (2010) at undergraduate level for outstanding academic achievements by Faculty of Agriculture, HSTU, Bangladesh.