Hira Aslam
Visiting PhD Student
Hira Aslam is an exchange Ph.D. student from PMAS-Arid Agriculture University. Her research interests include the genetic biofortification of micronutrients such as iron and zinc in maize to enhance nutritional value and address interconnected global challenges including food insecurity, population growth, and climate change. This work also contributes toward achieving sustainable development goals such as No Poverty and Zero Hunger. Outside of her research, Hira enjoys traveling, exploring different cultures, reading, and spending time with her parents.
In the News
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New students join for spring 2026
Welcome, Ryleigh Kirby, Surya Krishna Sakthivel, and Hira Aslam. Hira joins us as a visiting PhD student from Pakistan who is studying the regulation of seed mineral content in maize. Surya is a rotating graduate student figuring out how to optimize maize photosynthesis using genomes of crop wild relatives. Ryleigh joined our lab as a high school student, continued as an undergrad, and is now a PhD student integrating high throughput leaf phenotyping with undergraduate science education.