Mohammed Siddiq

Muhammad Siddiq (Siddiq) joined the Discipline of Botany at Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin in September 2024 as a recipient of the prestigious Trinity Research Doctorate (Sanctuary) Award, the first of its kind in Ireland. This highly competitive award supports exceptional scholars at the PhD level.

Muhammad has a diverse academic background, holding a BSc in Biochemistry, an MSc in Botany, an MS in Biotechnology, and an MSc in Biosciences with a focus on Infection Biology. His research spans multiple disciplines within the biosciences. His most recent work involved predicting pathogenic fungi in rapeseed plants using third-generation sequencing (MinION) technology, contributing to advancements in plant disease management.

His expertise covers a wide range of fields, including botany, biochemistry, pharmacognosy, molecular biology, biotechnology, microbiology of infectious diseases, and biostatistics. During his academic career, he has worked as a Research Assistant and Lecturer, authored five theses and seven research articles, and contributed to drug discovery and development. His ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal surveys have documented over 500 plant species, many reported for the first time from indigenous Kashmiri and Pakistani communities. This vital data, gathered from native speakers of now-endangered languages, captures invaluable knowledge passed down through generations.

Current Research

Muhammad is currently working on the PlantChem Project at Trinity, where his research focuses on how atmospheric composition changes impact plant chemistry. This multidisciplinary project spans chemistry, ecology, botany, and environmental science. He uses cutting-edge analytical techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). His research involves studying plant samples from herbarium collections, fossil plants, and modern ecosystems to evaluate plant adaptability to both past and current climate shifts.