I am a Fulbright scholar from Pakistan. I am interested in conservation ecology in relation to human activities and climate change. The high mountain ranges in Pakistan, which are located at the interface of transitional climate zones from east to west with variable summer and winter precipitation regimes, provide an excellent opportunity to study ecosystems responding to climate change phenomena.

In Ellen Damschen’s lab at Washington University in St Louis I am working on how variation in species traits can be used to study climate change and fragmentation of habitats through human activities. I am interested in determining if plant traits can be used to predict species distributions in future environments across continents and ecosystems. Can we identify sensitive species and habitats to develop strategies for conservation planning? Do species in similar or different phytogeographic region respond similarly in different continents?

I have studied plant diversity in Pakistan for the last 27 years at the National Herbarium associated with Pakistan Agricultural Research Council. My special interest is in high altitude ecology in Himalayas - Karakoram - Hindukush region and desert environments.