Nabila Riaz

Nabila received a B.S. in Biology from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan, in 2015.  She also received a Master's degree in Plant Sciences from the University of Bonn, Germany in 2017. Currently, she is an Ambassador to the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) program and a recipient of the American Society of Plant biology (ASPB) travel grant award. In our Biological Sciences Ph.D. program, Nabila is a graduate student in Mary Lou Guerinot's lab studying the regulation of Iron (Fe) homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Fe is an essential micronutrient for both plants and animals and is used in many biochemical processes. In humans, Fe deficiency causes anemia, the most prevalent nutritional disorder. Most people rely on plant-based foods as their major Fe source, but plants are poor source of dietary Fe. Nabila hopes that her research can clarify the molecular mechanisms regulating Fe homeostasis to improve global crop production. Outside Lab, she enjoys kayaking, hiking and baking cakes.