An-Najah Staff

                                                                      Hani Al-Ahmad, Ph.D.

                                                     Assistant Professor of Plant Biotechnology

                                                        Department of Biology & Biotechnology

                                                                 An-Najah National University 

                                                                        alahmad@najah.edu

                                                https://staff.najah.edu/en/profiles/academic-staff/2428/

Dr. Al-Ahmad is an assistant professor of plant biotechnology at the Department of Biology & Biotechnology, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. He got his Ph.D. in 2005, in plant molecular genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Soon after, Al-Ahmad did his ~one-year post doctoral research in biological control of weeds, in the lab of Prof. Jonathan Gressel, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and then in plant biotechnology, genomics, and plant-based biofuels in the lab of Prof. C. Neal Stewart Jr., Racheff Chair of Excellence, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. Thereat (in 2006, and summers 2007~2015), he did novel work mainly on plant cell cultures, and protoplast isolation and characterization from the bioenergy candidate-switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), and on potential assessment of the genus Copaifera (the diesel tree), as a new source of biodiesel using functional-genomics and biochemical analyses. 

Concurrently, Al-Ahmad is teaching two main courses: "Recombinant DNA Technology", and "Plant Cell & Tissue Culture", in addition to supervising graduation research projects. He has excellent training and experience in plant biotechnology in general, and conducted research in plant genetic engineering, plant molecular genetics, and plant cell & tissue culture approaches. He has been acclaimed for his research in plant molecular genetics and biotechnology by various international organizations including International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA); Information Systems for Biotechnology (ISB) of the Virginia Tech University, USA.

Besides teaching, Al-Ahmad's research approaches are primarily focused on plant-based bioenergy approaches. Approaches concerning in vitro micropropagation of selected plant species including trees that are economically-important, or endangered, or of medicinal significance are also being considered.

Updated October, 2017