SPEAKERS
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Zahid Mahmood
Programme Leader Wheat Programme, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad.
Keynote Title: Rapid Utilization of Wheat Biodiversity Employing Speed Breeding, Machine Learning and AI Driven Techniques.
Biography of Dr. Zahid Mahmood
Dr. Zahid Mahmood is leading a national Wheat Programme at the Crop Sciences Institute (CSI), National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, Pakistan. He has established Pakistan’s first Speed Breeding facility, at CSI, NARC to fast-track the development of high-yielding, bio-fortified and climate-resilient wheat varieties. This includes the use of innovative technologies and their establishment to help plant scientists. He is also Principal Investigator of different wheat research project on High-Zinc, Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI), Fertilizer Right Pakistan and Duram Wheat Development. He has a strong interest in the employing of novel technologies, such as speed breeding, remote sensing, high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping, IoT, machine learning and artificial intelligence for crop evaluation, development and improvement. He also supports capacity building through training courses and workshops in Pakistan and abroad. His assistance for speed breeding and high-throughput phenotyping in crops sought nationally and internationally, which is the latest mean to development of improved crop varieties in a short time. Dr. Zahid’s research outcomes have been featured in 78 research articles in international and national journals and conferences. He was involved in the breeding of NARC-Super and Wafaq-2023, which are high yielding, disease resistant and climate-resilient wheat varieties of Pakistan. He served as a visiting professor at Zhetysu University, Kazakhstan. He earned the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science & Technology Fellowship and worked at the University of Minnesota, Washington State University, NSGC-USDA, USA, CIMMYT, Mexico and CIMMYT Kenya. He also received several international fellowships/trainings from QAAFI, The University of Queensland, Australia, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), CNRIFFI China and ICRISAT, India. He supervised more than 90 students including PhD, Masters, and BS. He has built a large network of collaborators nationally and internationally, with active or developing collaborations with researchers in Australia (The Uni. of Queensland, ACIAR), Mexico (CIMMYT), USA (Uni. of Minnesota, Washington State Uni., USDA), China (Chinese Academy of Agri. Sciences, CIMMYT, China), ICARDA, Kenya (CIMMYT, Kenya), Kazakhstan (Zhetysu University), Uzbekistan (JDITI), Turkey (Cukurova Uni.) and Asian Development Bank. Among the national partners in Pakistan are NARC, CIMMYT-Pakistan, WRI, QA Uni., CCRI, NUST Uni., National Aero Space Technology Park, Air Uni., Bahria Uni. NIBGE, Uni. SUPARCO, Haripu, Hazara University, PMAS Arid Uni., COMSAT, Uni. of Agriculture, Uni. of Punjab, KPK, and Sindh are in active collaborations.
Dr. Md Ekram Hossain
Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID), Dhaka, Bangladesh
CEO and Chief of Strategy and Innovation at the Nanjing R&D Information Technology Co., Ltd
Biography of Dr. Md Ekram Hossain
Dr. Md Ekram Hossain is an accomplished academic and development professional with extensive experience in teaching, research, and consulting across Asia, North America, and beyond. He specializes in international trade and climate change, circular economy and sustainable development issues, and currently serves as the Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Ekram is also CEO and Chief of Strategy and Innovation at the Nanjing R&D Information Technology Co., Ltd., from 2019 till date. Dr. Ekram previously worked (2022-2024) with the Department of Environment (DoE) at the Minstry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Bangladesh and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) as a consultant, contributing to environmental policy development and leading research initiatives in Bangladesh. His work at the intersection of environment, policy, and sustainability has made significant impacts in both public and academic spheres. From 2017 to 2021, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Faculty at Hohai University, China. In this role, he taught economics and management, published in leading journals, and contributed to research on climate change, industry competitiveness, and sustainable business practices. He also served as the International Coordinator at the university’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center reflecting his leadership in research and academic innovation. Dr. Ekram has worked closely with prestigious institutions globally. To be mentioned he conducted a collaborative research project involving the Water Center of Columbia University during 2015-2016 and visited the university several times. Moreover, he was selected by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN) as a young researcher and participated in the International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD), at the Columbia University, USA; with his work featured alongside global leaders of the SDG movement. Dr. Ekram also the Chief Editor of Circular Tribune (A Weekly Magazine in Bangladesh) and Managing Editor of Journal of Innovation and Impact (JII), and Reviewer position in different international journals. Dr. Ekram is a proud alumnus of the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the China Postdoctoral Association (CPA), having received full funding for both his postgraduate and doctoral studies. He has authored over 30 international publications, participated in 40+ conferences and workshops, and received several academic and leadership awards. With a strong background in international trade, climate change, regional integration, and strategic management, Dr. Ekram Hossain brings a unique blend of academic rigor, policy insight, and global perspective. His dedication to sustainability, research excellence, and student development continues to make significant contributions to academia and beyond. His international exposure and unwavering dedication make him a powerful force in promoting sustainability and academic excellence worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Abdul Rauf
Professor, School of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST), China
He serves in editorial capacities, including Editor, Co-Editor, and Reviewer positions for various journals, such as SSCI/SCI/EI/ABS/ABDC-listed publications, Energy Policy (SSCI), Frontiers in Environmental Science, Renewable Energy (Q1-SSCI/SCI), Journal of Environmental Management (SCI), Sustainable Production and Consumption (SSCI-Q1), and Journal of Cleaner Production (Q1-SCI).
Keynote Title: Academic Writing and Research in the Era of AI
Biography of Prof. Dr. Abdul Rauf
Professor Dr. Abdul Rauf obtained his Ph.D. in Finance (Applied Economics) from Southeast University, Nanjing, China. currently, He is working as a Professor of Finance and Economics at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China since September 2019 to date. He has published more than 60 research papers in various SSCI/SCI, EI, and ESCI (ABS, ABDC) journals such as Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Finance Research Letter, Applied Economics, Journal of Cleaner Production, Energy, Structure Changes and Economic Dynamics, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Reousrces Policy, Tourism Economics, International Journal of Finance and Economics, IEEE Explore, etc. His research interests comprise; sustainable development, macroeconomics policy, financial development, stock market volatility, green finance, green energy transition, technological innovation, energy economics, environmental economics, tourism economics, and socioeconomic development. He won various research funding such as National Natural Science Foundation, China (NSFC), NUIST funding and others. He has been offered various keynote speeches in well renowned in international conferences. Moreover, He is an editor and peer reviewer of various prestigious SSCI and SCI journals as well.
Dr. Sabir Hussain
Scientific Officer at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)
Keynote Title: Integrated Pest Management of Rice Crop in Pakistan
Biography of Dr. Sabir Hussain
Dr. Sabir Hussain is an accomplished entomologist specializing in insect–plant interactions, Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) studies, and virus transmission mechanisms in crop pests. Currently serving as a Scientific Officer at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), he has previously worked as Assistant Professor (Entomology) at Mir Chakar Khan Rind University, Sibi, and as Assistant Research Officer at the Cotton Research Institute, Multan. His research contributes to strengthening pest surveillance, resistance mapping, and the development of eco-friendly management strategies against major insect pests. Dr. Hussain’s expertise extends to evaluating insecticide efficacy, screening resistant germplasm, and promoting integrated pest management practices to enhance agricultural sustainability.
Dr. Shahid Adeel
Associate Professor of Applied Chemistry Department of Applied Chemistry, Sir Syed Block New Campus Govt. College University Faisalabad, Jhang Road Faisalabad Pakistan
Keynote Title: Printing of fabrics with sustainable natural dyes: Recent advances and future Recommendations Looking to your kind repsonse
Dr. Rabia Abdur Rehman
Dept. of Biological & Environmental Science Emerson University Multan
Keynote Title: Environmental Pollution; Air, Water, and soil
Guest Speakers
Gazi Tawfiq Ezaz
Yellow River Research Institute North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China
Keynote Title: Promoting Trustworthy AI: Rigor, Reproducibility, and Ethics in Research
