Shahzaib Ahmed
CEO & Founder
About Me
I am Shahzaib Ahmed — a biotechnologist, researcher, and the founder of Events Markaz. My journey in science began with a Bachelor’s degree in Biosciences from COMSATS University Islamabad, where I developed a deep fascination with the molecular machinery of life. I went on to complete a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, one of Pakistan’s most respected research universities, where I trained at the National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB), NARC, PARC — a national centre of excellence in agricultural genomics and crop biotechnology.
My research has focused on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in sugarcane, where I led a project targeting the vacuolar invertase gene (SAI) with the goal of reducing sucrose breakdown and enhancing sucrose accumulation in the plant at harvest. This work involved the complete research pipeline — from in silico guide RNA and primer design through vector construction, bacterial transformation, Agrobacterium-mediated and biolistic plant transformation, tissue culture optimisation across multiple elite varieties, transgenic plant selection, speed breeding, and field evaluation. In parallel, I have worked on rice genome editing and conducted extensive reviews of CRISPR applications in crop improvement more broadly.
My academic journey has taken me across borders. In 2025, I was awarded a fully funded Advanced Training Scholarship under the Government of Pakistan’s international capacity-building initiative for agricultural researchers, which I completed at Southwest University of Science and Technology (SWUST), Sichuan, China (July 2025 – January 2026). This six-month placement gave me invaluable exposure to international laboratory culture, advanced molecular techniques, and the global scientific community. I returned with not only enhanced technical skills but also a broadened perspective on how science can serve humanity across cultural and geographical boundaries.
Beyond the laboratory, a personal journey to the heart of the Arab world in late 2023 deepened my connection with my faith and with the shared human experience — with the aspirations, the struggles, and the quiet resilience of people from every corner of the earth. That experience brought me closer to a truth I had long sensed: that knowledge, opportunity, and community, when made freely available, have the power to change lives. It was this conviction, nurtured together with a group of like-minded individuals who share the same care for others, that inspired me to channel energy into something larger than research alone — and into founding this platform. We also quietly support a small community foundation (eventsmarkaz.com/tanze-foundation/) run not for recognition but out of a shared belief that those with capacity have a responsibility toward those without.
Connect With Me
I believe in open conversation — whether about science, opportunity, collaboration, or simply ideas. Reach out on my personal channels:
- Twitter / X: @meeshahzaib
- Snapchat: meeshahzaib
- WeChat: meeshahzaib
- WhatsApp: +92 311 5662020
Research & Publications
Alongside my laboratory work, I have been actively engaged in scientific writing and knowledge dissemination. My current publication record includes:
Submitted for Publication:
- Ahmed, S. et al. “Optimization of Tissue Culture Approaches for In Vitro Organogenesis of Sugarcane Cultivars (Saccharum officinarum L.) for Conducting Transformation Studies in Pakistan.” NIGAB, NARC, PARC, Islamabad. (Submitted to supervisor for journal submission)
- Ahmed, S. et al. “A Comprehensive Review: Genome Editing Approaches for Sugarcane Cultivars, Plant Response and Efforts to Develop a Lead Variety for Biofuel Generation.” NIGAB, NARC, PARC, Islamabad. (Submitted to supervisor for journal submission)
In Preparation:
- Ahmed, S. et al. “An Optimized Protocol for CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing Targeting GS3 in Rice.” (Manuscript in preparation; expected submission within the coming weeks)
These works reflect my commitment to contributing original knowledge to the scientific community and to making that knowledge accessible beyond the walls of the laboratory.
Scientific Engagement
Throughout my academic career I have been an active participant in the broader scientific community. I have attended numerous national and international scientific events — including conferences, workshops, seminars, symposia, webinars, and training programmes — spanning the fields of plant biotechnology, genomics, molecular biology, food security, and agricultural innovation. These experiences have shaped not only my technical knowledge but also my understanding of how ideas travel between disciplines and across borders, and of the immense value of face-to-face and virtual scientific exchange in accelerating discovery.
Events Markaz — Mission & Vision
Events Markaz was born from a simple but powerful observation: that some of the most talented and motivated scientists and students in the world are also among the most isolated — not because they lack capability or curiosity, but because they lack access. Access to information about opportunities. Access to networks. Access to communities of people who share their questions and their ambitions.
Events Markaz exists to close that gap — completely, and for free.
We are a global scientific community platform dedicated to connecting researchers, students, academics, and science enthusiasts from every field, every country, and every background. We aggregate and share academic events from national and international sources — including webinars, workshops, conferences, seminars, symposia, training programmes, internships, exchange programmes, summits, debates, competitions, and both physical and online events — so that no one misses an opportunity simply because they did not know it existed.
But Events Markaz is more than an events board. It is a community. Through our platform, we offer:
- Academic and career counselling for students navigating higher education, scholarships, and research careers
- Life guidance for individuals and families making major transitions — including relocating to new countries, adapting to new cultures, and building lives abroad
- A space for scientists and researchers to connect, collaborate, and find in each other the intellectual community that geography so often denies them
- A bridge between the Global South and the global scientific mainstream — ensuring that talent and ambition are never held back by a lack of access to information
Everything we offer is free. Always. Because we believe that knowledge — and the community built around it — belongs to everyone.
Our vision is a world in which a student in Rawalpindi has the same access to scientific opportunity as one in Stockholm. A world in which the next breakthrough in plant biology, or climate science, or medicine, is not delayed because its author never heard about the conference that would have changed everything. A world in which the global scientific community is genuinely global — in its membership, its conversations, and its impact.
That is what we are building. And we are building it together.
Follow Events Markaz
Stay connected with our latest posts, events, and opportunities through the official Events Markaz channels:
“Science is for everyone. Opportunity should be too.”
— Shahzaib Ahmed, CEO & Founder, Events Markaz
