During his work at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology (Leibniz-HKI) in Jena and at our University of Applied Sciences in Wismar, Nauman Saeed identified chemical markers as part of a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). These markers determine whether fungi that are pathogenic to humans and plants can be eaten by predatory single-celled organisms. Some of these pahtogenic fungi are economically significant plant pests. The predators are microscopic amoebae that occur worldwide on leaf surfaces and feed exclusively on fungi. The aim of the current work is to develop these amoebae into a biological plant protection agent.
Nauman Saeed defended his thesis in Jena where he was supervised by Prof. Dr. Axel A. Brakhage from the Leibniz-HKI and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena as part of a cooperative doctoral programme. At Wismar University, Prof. Dr. Falk Hillmann from the Department of Mechanical, Process and Environmental Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering was the project leader and supervisor of the doctoral student. Nauman Saeed, who studied biotechnology and microbiology in Lahore, Pakistan, and at the University of Jena, presented some of his findings at an international conference in Italy in 2024. He carried out most of the practical work in Wismar and also took part in special events at our UAS to promote young scientists.
We offer our warmest congratulations!