Dr. Muhammad Rafiq is currently serving as an Assistant Researcher at the Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Jiujiang, China. He earned his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, where his doctoral research focused on the biological management of black scurf disease in potatoes using biofertilizers and Asteraceae weeds.

Dr. Rafiq specializes in plant pathology, medicinal plants, and green chemistry. His research interests include the development of antimicrobial agents from natural sources, stress biology, and the production of medicinal and functional plant products. He possesses strong expertise in plant physiological studies, compound isolation and characterization using GC-MS, HPLC, and SEM, and has demonstrated proficiency in conducting both field and lab-based research.

Throughout his career, he has held positions in academia, industry, and international research institutions. His international experience includes a research fellowship at Iowa State University (USA) where he studied antifungal compounds from Silybum marianum. Prior to his current role in China, he served as Technical Manager at Abdullah Haseeb Agrochemicals in Pakistan, where he led integrated pest management programs and biotechnological solutions for crop diseases.

Dr. Rafiq has published over 25 peer-reviewed research articles in renowned journals, contributed a book chapter, and actively participated in international conferences and scientific training programs in the USA and China. His recent work focuses on the identification and quality assessment of traditional medicinal plants, TCM plant industrialization, and natural product development.

He is a member of professional societies including the Pakistan Phytopathological Society, the Pakistan Society of Food Scientists and Technologists, and the Jiangxi Botanical Society in China.

Dr. Congyan Wang is a Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor at the School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, China. He earned his Doctorate in Biology from Nanjing University, specializing in Invasion Biology. His research focuses on the ecological effects, environmental risks, and mechanistic understanding of invasive plant species. His work integrates plant ecology, community dynamics, and plant–soil–microbe interactions to explore how invasive species establish, compete, and impact biodiversity.

Dr. Wang has made several theoretical contributions to invasion ecology, including the development of indices such as the invasion intensity index, relative invasiveness index, community invasibility index, and the “seesaw theory” to explain competitive plant growth strategies in invasive contexts. He has published extensively in high-impact journals such as Science of the Total Environment, Plant Diversity, and Plants.

He currently serves on multiple editorial boards, including mSystems, Horticulturae, Journal of Plant Ecology, iMeta, Journal of Forestry Research, and Microorganisms. He is also the Lead Guest Editor of several special issues focusing on invasive plant ecology in journals like Plants, Microorganisms, Forests, and Sustainability.

With a strong interdisciplinary background, Dr. Wang contributes significantly to the advancement of plant invasion science, offering both conceptual frameworks and practical risk assessment tools for ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation.

Muhammad Faizan Latif is a postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in advanced biotechnology and bioinformatics. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. from Nanjing Normal University, where he conducted research on transgenic solutions for plant viral diseases. He has worked on numerous biotechnology-focused projects in both academic and industrial settings, including internships at Monsanto and training at leading biotechnology institutes in Pakistan. His work is published in multiple peer-reviewed journals. He is passionate about applying scientific innovation to address global agricultural and environmental challenges.

Dr. Alieu Mohamed Bah is an Associate Professor of Crop Science and currently serves as the Deputy Vice Chancellor at Njala University, Sierra Leone. He holds a Ph.D. in Crop Science from Zhejiang University, China, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Education, and a B.Sc. in Agricultural Education from Njala University. With over two decades of academic and professional experience, Dr. Bah has held several leadership roles, including Head of the Crop Science Department and Dean of the School of Agriculture.

Dr. Bah is an accomplished researcher in areas such as plant stress physiology, organic soil amendments, and varietal improvement. He has published over 25 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and has supervised numerous undergraduate, MPhil, and Ph.D. theses. He has also played a lead role in major national and international agricultural research projects, especially in food safety, rice breeding, and mutation breeding under the IAEA-AFRA initiatives.

In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Bah has been actively involved in national development projects, consultancy, curriculum development, and capacity building. He has served as a consultant for various organizations including BBC Media Action, COOPI, IFAD, and AAH. He also coordinated several donor-funded initiatives focused on seed production, food security, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Bah is a member of several professional bodies including the African Crop Science Society and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists. His service includes editorial board memberships, national agricultural boards, and leadership in educational and community development institutions.

Musa Decius Saffa is a Sierra Leonean agricultural scientist and lecturer at Njala University, where he has been teaching and conducting research since 2016. With a strong academic background in crop protection, he holds a BSc (Hons), MSc, and has recently completed his PhD in Crop Protection at Njala University. His work focuses primarily on plant health, including the management of agricultural pests and diseases, sustainable crop production, and integrated pest control strategies.

Musa has contributed to the scientific community with over a dozen publications in reputable journals, addressing issues such as the effect of green manure on maize productivity, pest infestation in local yam genotypes, and seasonal variations in cassava disease incidence. He has actively participated in agricultural seminars and workshops and served as a laboratory assistant with WAVE Sierra Leone. His commitment to agricultural advancement is matched by his dedication as an ordained minister since 2016.

Fluent in English, Mende, and Krio, Musa is passionate about improving food security and promoting environmentally sound agricultural practices across Sierra Leone and beyond.