Editors:Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem is a full Professor at the Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Egypt. Ahmed has almost 37+ years of experience in teaching and research. His research interests include Ecology, Taxonomy, Biology, Secondary Metabolites, Endophytes, Bioactive Natural Products, Climate Change and Conservation of Fungi and his specialist interest is members of the phylum Ascomycota. Abdel-Azeem is the founder and president of Arab Society for Fungal Conservation and executive Committee member of IMA. He is a Founder member of International Society for Fungal Conservation, Member in European Mycological Association, Member in Mycological Society of America. Abdel-Azeem is the president of African Mycological Association (AfriMA) and he founded Egypt's National Fungus day, African Annual Fungus Day and many mycologists' networks like Egyptian, Iraqi, Algerian, Libyan and Pakistani networks. He is the founder of Pan Arab Mycologists.Abdel-Azeem has the necessary vision combined with proven experience leading and successfully completing more than 20 complex and ambitious local and international projects. He awarded the PRESIDENT FUNGAL CONSERVATION AWARD in 2013. He is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Specialist Group for Cup Fungi, Truffles & their Allies. Also, he is a member of Fungal Conservation Committee (FunCC) of IUCN. He has mentored/supervised many undergraduates, master's students, PhD researchers, and postdoctoral researchers. His multidisciplinary research has yielded several high-quality scientific articles, and his work has been widely cited in his scientific field. He has published more than 110 full research papers in international journals, 60 book chapters in the books published by international publishers, and 12 books. Vijai Kumar Gupta is an Associate Professor at the School of Biotechnology. Vijai has almost 15+ years of experience in teaching and research. His research interests include Biomass Valorisation, Microbial Engineering Biotechnologies, Functional Microbiomes, Advanced Bioprocessing, Precision Fermentation Technologies, and Bioactive Natural Products. Vijai is the Fellow of Linnaean Society, UK; Fellow of Mycological Society of India; Fellow of Indian Mycological Association; Fellow of the Academy of Microbiological Sciences, India; Pravasi Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India; and Associate Fellow of the National Academy of Biological Sciences India. He has mentored/supervised many undergraduates, master's students, PhD researchers, and postdoctoral researchers. He has also edited a few books in his area of expertise for Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Taylor and Francis, Springer-Nature, and CABI, UK. His multidisciplinary research has yielded several high-quality scientific articles, and his work has been widely cited in his scientific field. Bhim P. Singh is working as a Professor and Head in the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship & Management (NIFTEM), An Institute of National Importance (INI), under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India. Dr. Singh has 15 years of teaching and research experience and his area of research is Postharvest Disease Management using green approaches and improving the shelf life of fresh commodities to reduce the food loss happening during the food supply chain.Dr. Singh has authored over 100 peer-reviewed research papers in high-impact factor journals and book chapters of international repute. Edited nine books published by Springer and Elsevier. He has also guided four Ph.D. and three M. Phil. students. Dr. Singh is a recipient of DBT Overseas fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for working at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK during 2012-2013. He is a member of Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI), Asian PGPR Society for Sustainable Agriculture, Mushroom Society of India (MSI), Indian Science Congress (ISC) etc. Received several prestigious awards from agencies such as DST, New Delhi and other agencies in the field of Microbial Diversity. Competed ten externally funded projects on several aspects of microbial diversity and their applications in agriculture and health. Dr. Singh has received an International project under Indo-Russia bilateral schemes of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi. Lobna Hajji-Hedfi is an assistant professor of Plant Pathology at Regional Centre of Agricultural Research of Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. Lobna has almost+ 7 years of experience in teaching and research. Her research interests involve the fungal biology, diversity, taxonomy, management and interaction plant microorganisms. She trained and supervised undergraduate, engineering, professional and research masters students on plant pathogens diagnosis and management. She is coordinating international and member of more than seven research and development projects related to the environment and resilience or adaptation to climate change. Lobna is an honory member of Arab society in fungal conservation. She is laureate of African women of Science 2022 and she is the awardee of young mycologist in Africa by International Mycological Association (IMA). She published more than 50 international research papers and participated in more than 30 international congress and seminars. Yousra A. El-Maradny is a researcher at the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria, Egypt. She is also a lecturer of microbiology and immunology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), El-Alamein, Egypt. She is a member of the Arab Society for Fungal Conservation and the African Mycological Association (AfriMA). Yousra is interested in research, particularly viruses and fungi. She is fascinated by extracting and testing new compounds as potential sources of antimicrobial agents. She has published many research articles, book chapters, and has participated as a guest speaker in various international conferences. Soumya Ghosh is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Oman since January, 2024. Previously, he worked as postdoctoral researcher at the University of the Free State, South Africa (2019 - 2024). Following his Ph.D. from Stellenbosch University, South Africa (2011-2015) he pursued his first postdoctoral studies at Thompson Rivers University, Canada (2016 -2017). After returning from Canada, he joined as visiting faculty of Microbiology at Kuchaman College, Rajasthan, India. Prior to his PhD, Dr. Ghosh worked as Research Fellow at the Biological Center, University of Gröningen, The Netherlands (2005). Thereafter, he worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre of Plant Molecular Biology, Tübingen University, Germany (2005-2008) where he secured his Biologie-Diplomarbeit (2005-2006) and consecutively at the Technical University Munich, Germany (2008 to 2010). Dr. Ghosh completed his Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Garware College, Pune, India in 1999 and subsequently his Master’s degree in Zoology at Pune University in 2001. Dr. Ghosh works on diverse fields ranging from plant biology to microbial diversity (bacteria and fungus). Recently, since 1st January, 2024, Dr. Ghosh has been awarded with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF)- C3 scientist rating. Aisha Umar (Gold & Silver Medalist) is a Botanist completed PhD from Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab Pakistan. Currently, she is serving different universities as a visiting faculty with research works also. She is the research member of King Saud University, Saudi Arabia and conducting several joint studies with UNIWERSYTET ROLNICZY (University of Agriculture in Krakow, faculty of Production and Power Engineering) and INSTYTUT AGROFIZYKI PAN (Department of Physical Properties of Plant Materials, and Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences) Poland, CHEMBIOPRO Lab (Chemistry & Biotechnology of Natural Products) Université de La Réunion, site ESIROI Agroalimentaire, 2 rue Joseph Wetzell, Parc Technologique, F-97490 Sainte-Clotilde, Ile de La Réunion – FRANCE, Lahore College for Women University, Pakistan. She valued by their appreciations as a supportive pillar for the research team. Her areas of expertise are Biology/ Botany/ Biochemistry/Microbiology/Mycology/Submerge Fermentation/ Laccase Kinetics/ Solid State fermentation/ Fungal Species Diversity/ Ethnobotany/ Ethnomycology/ Evolution & Nomenclature/ Molecular Mycology/ PCR/ SDS/ Genus Ganoderma/ Biocontrol/ Antagonism/ Fungal Taxonomy/Systematics/Fungal Pigmentation/ Microbial Fuel Cell/ Wastewater Treatment/ Microbial culturing/ Environmental microbiology and mycology. She got Best Researcher Award from (5th Edition of International Acdemic Award- ID: 7750) and Arab Society for Fungal Conservation. She is a reviewer of multiple journals (Scientific Reports (IF: 5.134); Applied and Environmental Microbiology (IF: 5.005); Catalysis Letters (IF: 3.186); Waste and Biomass Valorization (IF: 3.449); Microbiology Spectrum (IF: 9.043); Biologia (IF: 1.653).
