Mr Muhammad Waqas

Higher Degree by Research Candidate

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

College of Sciences


I am a plant molecular biologist with a strong focus on genome editing and crop improvement. My research experience includes applying CRISPR/Cas9 in soybean to improve herbicide tolerance and developing virus-resistant tomato lines through targeted gene editing. I have also worked on understanding root responses to nutrient stress in rice, contributing to functional genomics studies.
Currently, I am pursuing a PhD at the University of Adelaide, where I am working on engineering self-fertility in almond using both transgenic and DNA-free gene editing approaches. My research integrates CRISPR technologies and protoplast systems to develop practical tools for crop improvement.
I am particularly interested in translating molecular research into real-world agricultural applications and contributing to the development of resilient, high-yielding crop varieties.

I am a plant molecular biologist with a strong focus on genome editing and crop improvement. My research experience includes applying CRISPR/Cas9 in soybean to improve herbicide tolerance and developing virus-resistant tomato lines through targeted gene editing. I have also worked on understanding root responses to nutrient stress in rice, contributing to functional genomics studies.


Currently, I am pursuing a PhD at the University of Adelaide, where I am working on engineering self-fertility in almond using both transgenic and DNA-free gene editing approaches. My research integrates CRISPR technologies and protoplast systems to develop practical tools for crop improvement.


I am particularly interested in translating molecular research into real-world agricultural applications and contributing to the development of resilient, high-yielding crop varieties.

Language Competency
English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
Urdu Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Year Citation
2025 Choudry, M. W., Riaz, R., Raza, M. H., Nawaz, P., Ahmad, B., Jahan, N., . . . Shahid, M. (2025). Development of non-viral targeted RNA delivery vehicles–a key factor in success of therapeutic RNA. Journal of Drug Targeting, 33(2), 171-184.
DOI Scopus7 Europe PMC3
2024 Choudry, M. W., Nawaz, P., Jahan, N., Riaz, R., Ahmed, B., Raza, M. H., . . . Afzal, S. (2024). RNA based gene silencing modalities to control insect and fungal plant pests – Challenges and future prospects. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 130, 15 pages.
DOI Scopus19 WoS14
2024 Choudry, M. W., Riaz, R., Nawaz, P., Ashraf, M., Ijaz, B., & Bakhsh, A. (2024). CRISPR-Cas9 mediated understanding of plants’ abiotic stress-responsive genes to combat changing climatic patterns. Functional and Integrative Genomics, 24(4), 23 pages.
DOI Scopus25 WoS22 Europe PMC13

Year Citation
2025 Riaz, S., Choudry, M. W., Riaz, R., Farooq, A. M., & Bakhsh, A. (2025). Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Soybean (Glycine max L.) Using Split-Cotyledonary Explant. In Methods in Molecular Biology (Vol. 2911, pp. 71-82). Springer US.
DOI Scopus1 Europe PMC1
2024 Bakhsh, A., Nazik, N., Riaz, R., Saeed, R., Choudry, M. W., Ali, S., . . . Rao, A. Q. (2024). CRISPR-Cas-mediated genome editing in tomatoes and potatoes. In Crisprized Horticulture Crops Genome Modified Plants and Microbes in Food and Agriculture (pp. 265-276). Elsevier.
DOI
2023 Dervishi, A., Choudry, M. W., Riaz, R., & Bakhsh, A. (2023). Genetic improvement in leguminous crops through genome editing. In A Roadmap for Plant Genome Editing (pp. 259-269). Springer Nature Switzerland.
DOI Scopus1

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