Abdallah Awad

Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral fellow

Research Interests

My research interest focuses on exploring the role of nitrification inhibitors in enhancing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in agricultural systems. Nitrogen is a vital nutrient for plant growth, but inefficient use can lead to environmental pollution and economic losses. By inhibiting the soil nitrification process, nitrification inhibitors can reduce nitrogen leaching and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby improving nitrogen retention in the soil. My goal is to explore the mechanisms by which nitrification inhibitors enhance NUE, assess their impact on crop productivity, and evaluate their potential to reduce the environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilizer use. This research will contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural practices that optimize fertilizer use while minimizing environmental impacts

Selected Publications

  • Pena, R*., Awad, A*., Nawaz, A., Shang, Y., Wubet, T., & Tibbett, M., 2024. Unraveling the Facilitation-Competition Continuum Among Ectomycorrhizal and Saprotrophic Fungi. Soil Biology and Biochemistryunder review. 
  • Awad, A. and Pena, R., 2023. An improved method for extraction of soil fungal mycelium. MethodsX11, p.102477.

     

  • Awad, A., Majcherczyk, A., Schall, P., Schroeter, K., Schöning, I., Schrumpf, M., Ehbrecht, M., Boch, S., Kahl, T., Bauhus, J. and Seidel, D., 2019. Ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic soil fungal biomass are driven by different factors and vary among broadleaf and coniferous temperate forests. Soil Biology and Biochemistry131, pp.9-18.

Professional Profile

  • 2022-present: Postdoctoral fellow, Center for Desert Agriculture, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
    • 2020-2022: Lecturer, Faculty of Science, Israa University, Palestine.
    • 2018-2019: Researcher, Forest Botany and Tree Physiology Department, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.

     

    Awards

    • German Long-Term Scholarship awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for PhD studies.

    KAUST Affiliations

     

    • Professor Salim Al-Babili’s group
    • Center for Desert Agriculture (CDA)
    • Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)