Babar Iqbal | Plant Physiology | Editorial Board Member

Published on by Plant Scientist

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babar Iqbal | Plant Physiology | Editorial Board Member

Jiangsu University | China

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Babar Iqbal is an environmental biotechnologist at Jiangsu University (School of Environment & Safety Engineering) in China, whose work addresses major challenges in agroecosystems such as microplastic pollution, soil microbial health, and toxic metal stress. He leads projects on the mechanisms by which microplastic contamination affects crop physiology, soil microbial metabolism, and carbon‐use efficiency, including investigations on wheat  under cadmium stress. He co-authored an open-access Frontiers Ecology & Evolution paper on how soil microplastics affect Oryza sativa root traits under alien plant invasion. His other recent research includes the regulation of soil microbial metabolism through changes in plant communities in wetlands. On his university profile, he is noted as the principal investigator of a major project (2024–25) investigating the combined effects of microplastic and invasive plant contamination on wheat. His research interests center on sustainable agriculture, soil ecotoxicology, microbial ecology, and bio-remediation of polluted soils. Dr. Iqbal has contributed to both fundamental research and applied strategies, such as biochar-based remediation of contaminated soils. He also serves as corresponding author on several high-impact review articles, reflecting leadership in his field. Overall, his work is helping to build more resilient, sustainable agricultural systems in the face of emerging environmental threats.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Nazir, M. J., Li, G., Nazir, M. M., Zulfiqar, F., Siddique, K. H. M., Iqbal, B., & Du, D. (2024). Harnessing soil carbon sequestration to address climate change challenges in agriculture. Soil and Tillage Research.

Iqbal, B., Zhao, T., Yin, W., Zhao, X., Xie, Q., Khan, K. Y., Zhao, X., Nazar, M., Li, G., … (2023). Impacts of soil microplastics on crops: A review. Applied Soil Ecology.

Iqbal, B., Li, G., Alabbosh, K. F., Hussain, H., Khan, I., Tariq, M., Javed, Q., … (2023). Advancing environmental sustainability through microbial reprogramming in growth improvement, stress alleviation, and phytoremediation. Plant Stress.

Zahoor, R., Zhao, W., Dong, H., Snider, J. L., Abid, M., Iqbal, B., & Zhou, Z. (2017). Potassium improves photosynthetic tolerance to and recovery from episodic drought stress in functional leaves of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

Nazar, M., Xu, L., Ullah, M. W., Moradian, J. M., Wang, Y., Sethupathy, S., Iqbal, B., … (2022). Biological delignification of rice straw using laccase from Bacillus ligniniphilus L1 for bioethanol production: A clean approach for agro-biomass utilization. Journal of Cleaner Production

Sonia Malik | Plant Biotechnology | Excellence in Plant Tissue Culture

Published on by Plant Scientist

Prof. Dr. Sonia Malik | Plant Biotechnology | Excellence in Plant Tissue Culture

Baba Farid Group of Institutions | India

Dr. Sonia Malik, Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology, is an accomplished researcher and academic leader currently serving as Professor and Dean of Research and Development at the Baba Farid Group of Institutions, India. She has produced more than 65 research publications (documents), which have collectively received over 1660 citations and earned her a strong h-index of 23, demonstrating her significant global scientific impact. Dr. Malik earned her PhD from the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology & Guru Nanak Dev University in 2009, specializing in in vitro culture systems and secondary metabolite production. She has held prestigious research and teaching positions in India, Brazil, Australia, the UK, the Czech Republic, France, and South America, contributing to major projects in plant metabolic engineering, hairy root cultures, hydroponic and aeroponic systems, phytochemical profiling, and nanoparticle-mediated elicitation. Her research focuses on the biotechnological production of high-value bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. She has received notable awards, including the Fellow Award from the Society for Plant Research (2025), along with competitive grants and fellowships from FAPESP, FAPEMA, and CNPq. Dr. Malik continues to advance interdisciplinary scientific progress worldwide through her roles as an editor, reviewer, symposium organizer, and invited speaker.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar | Orcid

Featured Publications

Jacinto, C., Javed, Y., Lavorato, G., Tarraga, W. A., Conde, B. I. C., Orozco, J. M., Picco, A. S., Garcia, J., Dias, C. S. B., Malik, S., et al. (2025). Biotransformation and biological fate of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical research and clinical applications. Nanoscale Advances.

Luz, T. R. S. A., Serejo, A. P. M., Moraes, M. B. C., Oliveira, J. A. R. N., Heena, Kumaraguru, G., Shanmugam, G., Malik, S., Amaral, F. M. M., & Coutinho, D. F. (2025). Essential oils to treat insomnia: Clinical-based studies. In Essential Oil-Bearing Plants.

Jacinto, C., Silva, W. F., Garcia, J., Zaragosa, G. P., Ilem, C. N. D., Sales, T. O., Santos, H. D. A., Conde, B. I. C., Barbosa, H. P., Malik, S., et al. (2025). Nanoparticles-based image-guided thermal therapy and temperature feedback. Journal of Materials Chemistry B.

Malik, S., Salvatore, M. M., Bauchet, L., Bruat, M., Roubinet, B., Carpin, S., Andolfi, A., Cimmino, A., Landemarre, L., Masi, M., et al. (2025, November). Hydroponic cultivation technique in Populus nigra (L.) for the sustainable production of root metabolites with antimicrobial and prebiotic potential for skin microbiota. Industrial Crops and Products.

Heena, Sharma, P., Shaveta, Sharma, D., Pawan, R., Coutinho, D. F., Arroo, R., & Malik, S. (2025, June 20). Exploring the bioactive components of Stevia essential oil and their versatile applications in the food, cosmetic, and agricultural domains. Chemistry & Biodiversity.