University of the Punjab.

Introduction
     I did my Ph.D from the Department of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. My area of expertise is Environmental Microbiology/Biotechnology, with a research focus on the Plants-Microbe Interaction, wastewater treatment and study of Metal Resistant Bacteria. I have most recently been investigating the role of Metal resistant bacterial strains in the bioremediation of polluted wastewater alone and in association with plants. The other aspect of my research is the use of bacterial strains for the growth improvements of various economically important cash crops such as wheat, sunflower, Mungbean, Cicer, Lens etc. Characteristics that may determine plant growth promotion of a given bacterial strain are being studied.
A second area of research that I am currently involves the potential use of Chromium resistant bacterial strains in the reduction of carcinogenic Cr (VI) in to less bioavailable Cr (III) under different environmental conditions. This research areas center around studying microbial contaminants in the environmental samples such as water and wastewater systems, through the use of advanced molecular techniques. I am also involved in another research project on bio-fortification of selenium through different crops like Wheat, Sunflower, Maize etc. Beside this I have also carried out research on the biosurfactant production as well as oil degrading bacterial strains.