Tilal Sayed Abdelhalim

I am an associate professor and director of the Biotechnology and Biosafety Research Center of the Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) in Sudan. After completing my Ph.D. in Ecological Plant Protection in the Faculty of Orangic Agricultural Sciences at Kassel University in Germany in 2012, I worked as an assistant professor at ARC’s White Nile Research Station from 2012 to 2018. During this period, I also returned to Kassel University to conduct research on environmental soil microbiology as a junior postdoctoral researcher funded by the Volkswagen Foundation within the framework of the project ‘Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa’. Today, my research at ARC focuses on mining the genetic diversity of sorghum’s wild relatives in Sudan, a forgotten treasure-trove of plants that can withstand biotic and abiotic stresses, of which I am particularly interested in studying drought tolerance, Striga resistance, mycorrhiza symbiosis, and phosphorus-use efficiency. 

Joining AGYA allows me to expand my professional network and to build and strengthen ties with young researchers from diverse disciplines in Germany and the Arab world. Being part of a dynamic working academy like AGYA enriches my cultural outlook, career, and academic performance.

Academic career