Prof. Asmaa M. Abushady

 Dr. Asmaa M. Abushady was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1978. She attended Ain shams University, Cairo, Egypt to obtain her bachelor’s degree in Genetics in 1999; she obtained her master’s degree in Molecular Genetics in 2004. She also received her Ph.D. in Conservation of AnGR in 2009, from the Ain shams University, Faculty of Agriculture, Genetic Department, Cairo, Egypt. In her postdoctoral studies, she succeeded to gain a full scholarship for the first postdoc position from FP7-IRSES "Marie curie Action" in Cordoba University, Spain. 2012- 2013. As a member of the Bio Goat: Latin American Goat Biodiversity Project, from 2013 to date, she had actively contributed to that mega-project, thereby acquiring the skills to communicate and discuss ideas with international research groups. She was the Director of Ain Shams Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology "ACGEB 2017-2018. In 2019, she took a second scholarship from the specific call for mobility in the entrance from Mediterranean countries, at the University of Perugia (Universita Degli Studi di Perugia) Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Perugia, Italy and a full scholarship from the specific call for academic staff mobility in the entrance from Mediterranean countries, at the University of Messina (UniME), Sicily, Italy. Asmaa joined Nile University as an associate professor in 2020 and the Vice Dean of the School of Biotechnology. Her study field focused on a broad range of activities related to improving the productivity of animals and their resilience to environmental stressors. The main interests include identification and conservation of PlGR & AnGR and analyzing phenotypic and molecular genetic data of different animal species using molecular genetics technique and frequentist statistics analysis; besides working in laboratories. She carried out research activities in collaboration with international groups which are interested in the same field. Regarding that, her activity includes analyses by AFLP, PCR-based techniques, microsatellite molecular markers, and gene expression by Real Time-PCR. Currently, she is collaborating on "the mega-project collaboration between 6 different European and non-European countries” that aims to study genetic diversity to understand and exploit Barley's adaptation to harsh environments and for pre-breeding. 2 At Nile University (NU), Dr. Asmaa is co-developing the first online pharmacogenomics diploma and master’s program in Egypt as part of a consortium funded by ERASMUS K2+. The diploma and master’s program will have a world-class curriculum revised by renowned European universities and will be available to graduates of medicine, pharmacy and biotechnology in Egypt and Lebanon. https://oppmprogram.com/. Additionally, Professor Abushady has developed a professional diploma in plant cell and tissue culture at Nile University, aimed at equipping graduates with essential knowledge and competencies necessary for success in plant tissue culture technologies and food service sectors https://biotech.nu.edu.eg/program/professional-diploma-plant-cell-and-tissue-culture Dr. Asmaa is also launching a joint biotechnology incubator between Nile University and Ain Shams University, accelerating the development of biotechnology startups and enhancing the Egyptian biopreneurship ecosystem. https://bib-asu.com/ . From 2024 to 2028, Dr. Asmaa Aboushady as the PI for the PRIMA project titled “INTelligent, ACTive MicroBIOme-based, biodegradable PACKaging for Mediterranean food”( INTACTBioPack) https://intactbiopack.com/ addresses current global priorities in food safety, by exploring innovative, microbiome-based, and biodegradable packaging solutions tailored for Mediterranean food systems. Through this research, we aim to enhance food quality and safety while supporting.