Faculty Profile

Dr. Muhammad Arfan
Assistant Professor (HoD)
Doctor of Natural Science (Ecology), Sichuan University, China

Dr. Muhammad Arfan completed a Master of Science in Conservation Biology from the Lund University, Sweden in 2014. During the M.Sc. thesis at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany his research has focused on the evaluation of empirical presence data versus expert opinion to assess habitat suitability and landscape permeability – A case study of six butterfly species in Saxony, Germany.  He then commenced his Ph.D. research in the Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, China. His research has been focused on understanding the role of brassinosteroids (BRs) in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. Having been awarded his Ph.D. degree (Ecology) in June 2019, he joined the Department of Chemistry, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology (KFUEIT), Rahim Yar Khan as an Assistant Professor (Botany) since September 2019. His current research work focuses on providing sustainable use of ecosystem services in the Cholistan desert, Pakistan. He also teaches several courses relevant to his field of specialization.

  1. Hetong Wang, Qijiang Cao, Qiang Zhao, Muhammad Arfan, Wan Liu. Mechanisms used by DNA MMR PUBLICATIONS system to cope with Cadmium-induced DNA damage in plants. Chemosphere. 2019. 125614. ISSN 0045-6535, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125614. [IF: 5.108]
  2. Muhammad Arfan, Chao Zhang, Da-Wei Zhang, Da-Xu Li, Jia-Jun Yan, Ming-Hong You, Shi-Qie Bai, Hong-Hui Lin. CO2-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence responses of forage grasses during salt stress and recovery in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Pak. J. Bot. 2019. 51 (5): http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2019-5(5). [IF: 0.825]
  3. Muhammad Arfan, Da-Wei Zhang, Li-Juan Zou, Shi-shuai Luo, Wen-Rong Tan, Tong Zhu, Hong-Hui Lin. Hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide crosstalk mediates brassinosteroids induced cold stress tolerance in Medicago truncatula. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019. 20, 144 [IF: 4.331]
  4. Siraj Bahadur, Mushtaq Ahmad, Sehrosh Mir, Muhammad Zafar, Shazia Sultana, Shomaila Ashfaq, Muhammad Arfan. Identification of monocot flora using pollen features through scanning electron microscopy. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2018. 81: 599–613 [IF: 1.154]
  5. Muhammad Arfan, Guy Pe’er, Bianca Bauch, Josef Settele, Klaus Henle, Reinhard Klenke. Evaluating presence data versus expert opinions to assess occurrence, habitat preferences and landscape permeability: A case study of butterflies. Environments. 2018. 5, 36 [ESCI]
  6. Li-Juan Zou, Xing-Guang Deng, Li-e Zhang, Tong Zhu, Wen-Rong Tan, Muhammad Arfan, Li-Jun Zhu, Chao Zhang, Da-Wei Zhang, Hong-Hui Lin. Nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in brassinosteroidmediated virus resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus in Arabidopsis thaliana. Physiol. Plantarum. 2018. 163: 196–210 [IF: 3.138]
  7. Chao Zhang, Da-Wei Zhang, Yan-Ni Sun, Muhammad Arfan, Da-Xu Li, Jia-Jun Yan, Ming-Hong You, Shi-Qie Bai, Hong-Hui Lin. Photo-protective mechanisms in reed canary grass to alleviate photoinhibition of PSII on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Journal of Plant Physiology. 2017. 215: 11–19 [IF: 3.034]
  8. Shi-shuai Luo, Yan-ni Sun, Xue Zhou, Tong Zhu, Li-sha Zhu, Muhammad Arfan, Li-juan Zou, Hong-Hui Lin. Medicago truncatula genotypes Jemalong A17 and R108 show contrasting variations under drought stress. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 2016. 109: 190–198 [IF: 2.756]
  9. Muhammad Farrukh Nisar, Farrukh Jaleel, Syed Mujtaba Haider, Yasmin Toor, Sajil Ismail, Muhammad Arfan, Mohammad Azeem. Exploration of ethno-medicinal plants and their ritual uses in Bahawalnagar, Pakistan. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research. 2014. 21 (9): 1466–1471
  10. Muhammad Farrukh Nisar, Farrukh Jaleel, Muhammad Waseem, Sajil Ismail, Muhammad Arfan.Composition of understory vegetation in tree species of Cholistan desert, Pakistan. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment. 2013. 5 (10): 278–284
  11. Muhammad Farrukh Nisar, Farrukh Jaleel, Yasmeen Toor, Sajil Ismail, Muhammad Arfan, Syed Mujtaba Haider, Robina Bashir. Composition of understory vegetation in major shrub species of Cholistan desert, Pakistan. World Applied Sciences Journal. 2013. 28 (5): 629–635
  12. Muhammad Farrukh Nisar, Sajil Ismail, Maryem Arshad, Abdul Majeed, Muhammad Arfan. Ethnomedicinal flora of district Mandi Bahaudin, Pakistan. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research. 2011. 9 (2): 233–238

  • Plant Physiology/Molecular Biology
  • Ecology 
  • GIS/RS
  • Biodiversity Conservation

  • Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) Grant 2014, Sichuan University, China (Ph.D.)
  • Erasmus Scholarship Grant 2012, Lund University, Sweden (M.Sc.)