Dr. Khitab Gul

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Academic and research professional with a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of the Punjab and postdoctoral training in Genomics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, USA. Expertise combines molecular biology, microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, statistical analysis and biotechnology research. Previous experience includes work as a microbiologist at Ahmed Foods (Pvt.) Ltd., university teaching and leadership, research supervision, and participation in funded research projects. Interested in industry–academia partnerships that translate scientific expertise into practical, evidence-based solutions.

CORE CONSULTANCY AREAS

Consultancy Area	Scope of Services
Molecular Biology & Genomics	Molecular characterization; NGS data analysis; genomic interpretation; comparative genomics.
Microbiology, Food & Industrial Biotechnology	Microbial characterization; food microbiology research; fermentation-related research; scientific support for microbial quality investigations.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)	Resistance-gene analysis; bacterial whole-genome data analysis; genotype–phenotype concordance; microbial epidemiology research.
Bioinformatics, Statistics & AI/ML	Python and R analysis; biological data visualization; genomic/transcriptomic analysis; machine learning applications in biological research.
Agricultural & Plant Biotechnology	Plant tissue culture and micropropagation research; hydroponics; nutrient optimization and experimental design.
Research & Development Support	Research design; feasibility assessment; statistical interpretation; technical reports; staff training and collaborative R&D.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE & RESEARCH

Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi (2017–present); former Assistant Professor at the University of Karachi and the University of the Punjab.
Former Microbiologist, Ahmed Foods (Pvt.) Ltd.; former Head, Department of Biosciences, MAJU; former Group Leader, Genetic Disease Lab, University of the Punjab.
Co-Principal Investigator, molecular epidemiology and microbiological characterization of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Karachi (2022–2024; reported funding PKR 16.7 million).
Principal Investigator, molecular characterization of male infertility in the Pakistani population (2015–2016; reported funding PKR 0.5 million).

POTENTIAL INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Food and beverage manufacturers
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
Diagnostic laboratories
Hospitals and clinical research groups
Agricultural and plant-biotechnology enterprises
Research and development organizations

CONSULTANCY ENGAGEMENTS

Paid technical consultancy
Contract research and data analysis
Research design and statistical support
Bioinformatics services
Professional training workshops
University–industry collaborative projects

GRADUATE STUDENT SUPERVISION

MS / M.Phil Supervision (Completed)

#	Student	Thesis Title
1	Anum Shafi	Genetic Basis of Gaucher’s Disease in Pakistani Population
2	Faiza Yaqub	Genetic Basis of Hearing Impairment in Pakistani Population
3	Nausheen Noor	Genotype-Phenotype Correlation of Hearing Impairment
4	Tahira Mohammad Ghulam	Genetic Association of GJB2 Variants in Pakistani Population
5	Karim	Prevalence of p.V239D and p.Q446R of SLC26A4 Gene in Hearing-Impaired Individuals in Pakistan
6	Muhammad Waqar	Relationship between Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Semen Characteristics in Men Undergoing Infertility Investigation
7	Subreena Jawed	In Vitro Micro-propagation and Tissue Culture Response of Papaya
8	Ikram ul Haq	Comparative Genomics of the Industrially Important Aspergillus flavus
9	Abdul Qadir	Comparative Genomics in the Industrially Important Aspergillus niger
10	Shariq Sohail	Prevalence of Beta-Lactamase Genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae through Comparative Genomics and Whole Genome Sequencing
11	Momina Ansari	Comparative Genomics of the Industrially Important Aspergillus terreus
12	Minhaj Zubair	Plant Regeneration from the Callus of Papaya
13	Noman Khan	Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis for Production of Insecticidal Endotoxin
14	Abdul Moeed	Isolation and Characterization of Local Bacillus Strain for High-Quality Fermented Soybean Meal Production
15	Maria Rajput	Cloning and Expression of RBD Domain of SARS-CoV-2 by Mammalian Expression System
16	Khekashan Imtiaz	Analysis of Differential Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases and Alpha-Defensins in the Nasopharyngeal Milieu of Mild and Severe COVID-19 Cases
17	Isra Ghori	Prevalence of Beta-Lactamase Genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae through Comparative Genomics and Whole Genome Sequencing
18	Ghazala Zafar	Genetic Investigations of Inherited Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Consanguineous Pakistani Families
19	Nida Khalid	Molecular Characterization of Inherited Retinal Diseases using Whole Exome Sequencing
20	Iqra Wasim	Integrative Analysis of BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 Variants, Transcriptomic Networks, and Prognostic Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Using Machine Learning and Systems Biology Approaches
21	Shazia Muhammad Qasim	Correlation of Pseudomonal Pigments with Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Nosocomial Isolates Causing Urinary Tract Infections

MS / M.Phil Supervision (Ongoing)

#	Student	Thesis Title
1	Shahidullah	Genetic Analysis of the RING Region in BRCA1 Gene in Breast Cancer Patients: A Study from Pakistan
2	Syed Mohsin Manzoor	Genetic Analysis of BRCT Region in BRCA1 Gene among Pakistani Breast Cancer Patients
3	Hasnain Ahmed Farooqui	The Proteomic expression of cancer stem cell marker DCLK1 and its Association with HPV in Breast cancer
4	Shoaib Ramzan	In Silico Molecular Interaction and ADMET Analysis of Clinacanthus nutans Phytochemicals Targeting Breast Cancer-Associated Proteins Identified from MCF-7 Transcriptomic Profiling
5	Asim Deen	Cell-Type-Resolved and Communication-Network-Informed Biomarker Discovery in Lung Adenocarcinoma through Integrated Single-Cell and Bulk Transcriptomics
6	Anwar Alam	Establishment of a Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model for β-Thalassemia
7	Ejaz Ul Ikram	Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Anticancer Drug Response in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using Gene Expression Profiles with Exploratory Molecular Docking
8	Tahniyat Ayub	Explainable Machine Learning for Identification and Validation of Transcriptomics Biomarkers in Lung Adenocarcinoma and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

FINAL YEAR PROJECT SUPERVISION

Completed

#	Students	Project Title
1	Syeda Zehra Raza, Narmeen Ali, Abdul Raheem	In Vitro Micropropagation of Garlic
2	Faryal Hassan, Abdul Rehman	Hydroponics: Cultivation of Plant Without Soil
3	Mirza Abdul Rehman Baig, Mohammad Hamza, Tabina Tanveer, Haniya Waseem	In Vitro Callus Induction of Coriander Plant
4	Maria Rabbani, Hifza Aslam, Aimen Hussain	Growing Cucumber Plant by Hydroponics Technique
5	Abdul Ahad Qureshi, Fairoz, Ghulam Murtuza Samo	Optimization of Nutrient Formulation for Epipremnum aureum Using Plackett–Burman Design with Hydroponic Screening and Tissue Culture Validation
6	Ghazan Mehmood, Hassam Fareed, Zainab Rashid	Integrated In Silico Characterization of the DREB Gene Family in Oryza sativa subsp. japonica Under Drought Stress

Ongoing

Students	Project Title
Muhammad Ahmar Malik, Areeba Khatoon, Zain ul Abidin	Development of Sodium Alginate-Based Hydrogel Beads for Controlled Release of Nutrients and Enhanced Soil Water Retention in Drought-Prone Areas of Pakistan.