Dr. Shahid Mukhtar, assistant professor in the Department of Biology, has been selected to receive a three-year $800,000 grant for his research from the National Science Foundation.

The grant, “Symbiosis, Defense and Self-Recognition Cluster,” is awarded to scientists to support research on how plants, microbes, fungi and viruses recognize each other and identify pathogens. Mukhtar uses techniques from biology and computer science to understand how pathogens disrupt the flow of biological information within a plant cell.

Students in Dr. Mukhtar’s lab will gain experience in bioinformatics, a field that develops software to understand biological data. In addition, through his BioTeach class offered through the UAB Center for Community Outreach (CORD), Dr. Mukhtar will introduce innovations in genetics research to K-12 schoolteachers, as well as with students from nearby historically black colleges and universities.