Since the last three decades, I have been working on understanding how plants survive, function, and adapt in extreme environments, particularly saline and arid ecosystems. I work primarily on halophytes, xerophytes, and mangroves from coastal salt marshes, inland salt deserts, and subtropical drylands, using an integrative approach that combines plant ecology, physiology, and biochemistry. A central theme of my work is to unravel how environmental stressors such as high salinity, intense light, and temperature extremes interact to shape plant growth, photosynthesis, and resource use efficiency.

At the physiological and biochemical levels, my research examines plant water and ion relations, nutrient uptake, photosynthetic performance, chlorophyll fluorescence, and carbon fixation pathways, alongside enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanisms involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation. I am particularly interested in the plasticity of photosynthetic systems and stress tolerance strategies across C₃, C₄, and succulent halophytic species. These studies aim to bridge cellular and leaf-level processes with whole-plant performance, population dynamics, and ecosystem functioning.

A key objective of my work is to translate fundamental ecophysiological insights into applied outcomes, including the sustainable utilization of saline lands, development of climate-resilient crops, biofuel candidates, medicinal plants, and forage resources. Through field studies, controlled experiments, and interdisciplinary collaborations, my research contributes to addressing challenges related to food security, land degradation, and climate change in arid and semi-arid regions.

Ph.D. (Botany), University of Karachi

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2013 - : Associate Professor (BPS), Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi.
2012 - 2013: Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
2012 - 2013: Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi.
2009 - 2013: Assistant Professor, Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi.
2006 - 2009: Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, University of Karachi.
2004 - 2006: Assistant Professor of Botany, Government Superior Science College, Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi.
1997 - 2004: Lecturer, Department of Botany, Government Superior Science College, Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi.

• Zia, A., Gulzar, S., Ruban, A. (2024). Photochemxero-halophytes. Functional Plant Biology 51 (5)
  
• Ahmed, M. Z., Hussain, T., Gulzar, S., Adnan, M. Y., & Khan, M. A. (2021). Calcium improves the leaf physiology of salt treated Limonium stocksii: A floriculture crop. Scientia Horticulturae, 285: 110190.
  
• Chan, M.W.H., Akram, J., Gulzar, S., Zafar, U., Aslam, S., Siddiqui, P.J.A., Khan, S.A. and Rasheed, M. 2021. Comparative study on antimicrobial activities of mangroves growing in polluted and non-polluted sites of northern Arabian Sea. Pak. J. Bot., 53(2): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2021-2(25)
  
• Gulzar, S., Hussain T., Gul, B., and Hameed A. (2020). Photosynthetic Adaptations and Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Halophytes from Warm Subtropical Region. In: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020. M.-N. Grigore (ed.), Handbook of Halophytes, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_52-1. 1.
  
• Rasool, S.G., Gulzar, S., Hameed, A., Edwards, G.E., Khan, M.A. and Gul, B. 2019. Maintenance of photosynthesis and antioxidant defense system play key role for survival of Halopeplis perfoliata (family Amaranthaceae) under saline environment. Plant Biology. 21: 1167-1175. https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.13033
  

Gerald E. Edwards (USA); Bernardo Duarte (Portugal); H.-W. Koyro (Germany); Xiaojing Liu (China); Ahmad Zia (KSA); Abdul Hameed Baloch (Pakistan).