Dr. Zareen Sarfraz Sarfraz
About me
Dr. Zareen Sarfraz has just completed, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in Crop Genetics and Breeding, with expertise in plant genomics, molecular breeding, and quantitative genetics. Her research focus is on applying genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and QTL mapping to improve key traits in cotton and wheat. With a strong record of peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, she actively contributes to international agricultural research and scientific collaboration.
Dr. Zareen Sarfraz is an accomplished agricultural genomicist who recently concluded a productive tenure as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen (AGIS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). A Pakistani national with an extensive academic and research career across Pakistan and China, she has built a strong profile in plant breeding, molecular genetics, and genomics, and is now positioned to transition into the next stage of her professional career.
Current Status
Dr. Sarfraz successfully completed her post-doctoral fellowship at AGIS-CAAS in November 2025. During this appointment, she led and contributed to significant research projects focused on wheat genomics and phenomics, authoring several high-impact publications. She is now actively exploring opportunities to apply her expertise in advanced genomic selection, GWAS, and QTL mapping within an academic, institutional, or industry setting to continue driving innovation in crop improvement.
Academic Background
Dr. Sarfraz's academic journey is marked by consistent excellence. She earned her Ph.D. in Crop Genetics and Breeding in 2019 from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GSCAAS), where her dissertation focused on a "Genome Wide Association Analysis of Heterosis in Upland Cotton." Prior to this, she completed an M.S. in Biotechnology with an outstanding CGPA of 3.96/4.00 from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan, and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Agriculture-Plant Breeding and Genetics, securing a Silver Medal from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
Professional Experience & Research Evolution
Dr. Sarfraz's research career began with an internship at Pakistan's Central Cotton Research Institute, followed by a role as a Research Associate on a USDA-ICARDA project at the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad (2013-2015), specializing in QTL mapping for Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV) resistance.
Her international research career flourished in China, where she worked as a Research Associate and later as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Cotton Research, CAAS, Anyang, from 2015 to 2022. Her work there centered on cotton improvement, focusing on heterosis, QTL mapping, and GWAS.
Her most recent position was as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at AGIS-CAAS in Shenzhen (January 2022 - November 2025). In this role, she applied genomic tools to wheat research, leading projects involving high-throughput phenotyping of wheat landraces, population development, and genomic analysis (GWAS/QTL) for stress resilience and yield-related traits.
Recent Post-Doctoral Research Focus (2022-2025)
During her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Sarfraz's research activities included:
Phenomic Profiling: Comprehensive evaluation of wheat landraces and cultivars for morphological, phenological, biotic (leaf rust, powdery mildew), abiotic stress, and yield traits.
Genetic Population Development: Developing mapping populations for genetic dissection of complex traits.
Genomic Analysis: Employing Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and QTL mapping to identify genetic markers and candidate genes associated with resilience and productivity.
Collaborative Research: Contributing to a landmark study published in Nature (2024) on leveraging landrace diversity for wheat breeding.
Technical & Analytical Expertise
Dr. Sarfraz is proficient in molecular laboratory techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis) and is highly skilled in bioinformatics and statistical software essential for modern genomics, including R, SAS JMP Pro, TASSEL, GAPIT, PLINK, and STRUCTURE, among others.
Scholarly Contributions & Recognition
With an extensive publication record in high-impact journals, Dr. Sarfraz has co-authored a paper in Nature and has several first-author publications in reputable journals. Her academic distinctions include a Silver Medal in her undergraduate studies and a first-rank position in her M.S. program.
Having recently completed her advanced post-doctoral training, Dr. Zareen Sarfraz is a highly skilled genomicist with a proven track record in both cotton and wheat research. Her unique combination of hands-on plant breeding experience, molecular genetics skills, and advanced data analysis expertise makes her a strong candidate for roles focused on translational genomics, pre-breeding, and developing climate-resilient crop varieties.