Walid Fouad
- Position: Associate Professor
- Department: Department of Biology
- Email: wfouad@aucegypt.edu
Walid Fouad is an associate professor of plant biotechnology at the Biology Department and Biotechnology Program at the American University in Cairo (AUC), School of Science and Engineering. Fouad received BSc in horticultural science and an MSc in Vegetable Crops (Genetics) from Cairo University and a PhD degree in Horticultural Sciences/Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Florida, Gainesville.
He became passionate about research during his undergraduate studies at Cairo University, where he had multiple summer internships at several plant tissue culture laboratories. After graduation, he joined the Molecular Manipulation and Gene Transfer Lab at the Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute, where he conducted research on plant physiology. After completing his PhD, he received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Laboratory of Molecular Plant Physiology, Agronomy, before joining The American University in Cairo.
Fouad pursued research projects on plant molecular physiology focusing on the implication of plant adaptation to abiotic stress and the utilization of plant lignocellulosic biomass for bio-ethanol production. Current research interests emphasize sustainable biotechnology, including molecular improvement of forage crops, studying algae biodiversity and its potential applications, and sustainable agriculture.
Professor Fouad is interested in the integration of genetic transformation technology and functional genomics to study, identify, isolate and engineer key factors for molecular improvement of crops in general and biomass crops in particular. His ultimate goal is to initiate and develop products that will improve agricultural production at the regional and international level. He is also interested in the use of biochemical and molecular biology tools to understand and improve environmental and biotic stress tolerance in plants to enhance their productivity and persistence, resulting in more efficient use of natural resources. He enjoys conveying his scientific experience through mentoring and teaching to create a variety of opportunities for students to learn about plant biotechnology and exciting developments in plant sciences.