Staff Report
FAISALABAD: Prof. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) for a period of four years.
The Governor/Chancellor issued orders in this regard.
Dr. Zulfiqar Ali, a Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, had previously worked as Director Programs and Projects at OIC’s specialized entity on Food Security, the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) at Astana, Kazakhstan.
He rose through the ranks and earned his PhD degree from UAF, and further honed his expertise with postdoctoral studies at the University of Sydney, Australia, and Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China.
Academic and Research Excellence Recognized
His academic excellence went from strength to strength. The President of Pakistan recognized his contributions by conferring upon him the National level HEC-Best University Teacher Award 2020.
His research excellence spoke volumes when the Pakistan Academy of Sciences awarded him the Gold Medal in Biotechnology in 2017. He has consistently hit the mark by winning research productivity awards.
Strategic Contributions at the Islamic Organization for Food Security
Acknowledging his significant contributions, IOFS went the extra mile by sending his service requisite to the Government of Pakistan, paving the way for him to work as Director Programs and Projects at IOFS.
Since February 2023, he has been engaged in revamping IOFS strategy, turning over a new leaf by shifting its focus from activities to impactful projects. He spearheaded specialized projects like Wheat Development for Mauritania and MENA, Food Hubs in OIC geography, SAZs etc, leaving no stone unturned to drive meaningful change.
Significant Research and Educational Impact
Dr. Zulfiqar Ali has made significant research contributions by producing numerous Impact Factor publications. In a bid to shape the next generation of agricultural scientists, he has also taken under his wing 20 PhD and over 100 MS students.
He has developed groundbreaking technologies, including Pakistani hybrid wheat for seed replacement and yield gain, architectured multi-floret wheat plant to break yield stagnation, and architectured capturing wheat plant for water saving.
He also developed an architectured multi-floret rice plant to break yield stagnation and rice seed biotech for phosphorus use efficiency and water saving.
These innovative advancements of Dr. Zulfiqar Ali show that he is ahead of the curve
Demonstrating his ability to pull strings, Dr. Ali, while serving as the pioneer Chairman of the Department Plant Breeding and Genetics, at the University of Agriculture Multan and other departments, secured over Rs 3 billion extramural funding.
