CV
Education
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
PhD in Environmental Systems Sciences (2022 – Present)
MEME – Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in Evolutionary Biology (2020 – 2022)
EMJMD Scholarship holder (European Commission)
- Semester 1: Uppsala University, Sweden (Fall 2020)
- Semester 2–3: University of Montpellier, France (2021)
- Semester 4: Harvard University, USA (Spring 2022)
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan
BSc Biology (June 2018)
St. Mary’s Catholic High School, Dubai (June 2014)
Research Experience
ETH Zurich – Institute of Integrative Biology (Nov 2022 – Present)
Plant Ecological Genetics Lab (Prof. Alex Widmer)
Evolutionary processes and rapid diversification in Dianthus
Harvard University – OEB (Mar 2022 – Aug 2022)
Supervisor: Prof. Robin Hopkins
Autonomous selfing and reinforcement in Phlox cuspidata
CEFE, Montpellier (Sep 2021 – Feb 2022)
Supervisors: Dr. Jeanne Tonnabel, Dr. Mathilde Dufay, Dr. Jos Käfer
Evolution of mating systems and range dynamics in plants
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (Jul 2021)
Summer Internship
Speciation and hybrid zones in Antirrhinum
ISEM, Montpellier (Apr 2021 – Jun 2021)
Supervisor: Dr. Céline Devaux
Metallic soil adaptation in Noccaea caerulescens
LUMS Computational Biology Lab (Jun 2017 – Jun 2018)
Senior Thesis
Genome assembly and annotation of Mangifera indica
Publications
Shahid, B.M., Burgin, G.A. and Hopkins, R. (2024).
Experimental and genetic analysis of selfing reveals no reinforcement in Phlox cuspidata.
International Journal of Plant Sciences.
https://doi.org/10.1086/729299
Posters & Presentations
-
Best Poster Award, Biology24 Conference
Identifying Evolutionary Processes in the Dianthus Radiation (Jan 2024) -
Poster Presentation, Plant Biology Initiative Symposium, Harvard University
Joint evolution of sexual systems and range sizes in angiosperms (May 2022)
Honors & Awards
- MEME Erasmus Mundus Scholarship (€50,000) (2020–2022)
- Graduation with High Merit, BSc Biology (2018)
- Dean’s Honor List, LUMS (2017–2018)