Dr. Ahmed M. Abdel-Azeem is Professor of Mycology at the University of Suez Canal Department of Botany and Microbiology. Dr. Abdel-Azeem’s research focuses on fungal ecology, taxonomy, biology, secondary metabolites, bioremediation and biosorption by fungi, endophytes, climate change, and fungal biodiversity and conservation. He is the founder and president of the Arab Society for Fungal Conservation and an executive committee member of the International Mycological Association (IMA). He was a founding member of the International Society for Fungal Conservation and is a member of both the European Mycological Association and Mycological Society of America, as well as the IUCN SSC Specialist Group for Cup Fungi, Truffles, and Their Allies. He has published several titles, including Elsevier’s Endophytic Fungi and Forest Fungi. Dr. Marieka Gryzenhout PhD is passionate about studying fungi (mycology). Her mycology career started when she developed a world monograph of the important tree pathogen fungal family Cryphonectriaceae. Her research instilled in her a hunger to discover fungal species, describe them and untangle taxonomic problems using a practical approach and making the knowledge available to diverse end-users who do not necessarily have the appropriate skills and background. Her current position as biosystematist in the Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State, is conducive to follow her research ideals. Currently she published 85 international peer reviewed articles, three books (one has been revised and released again) and four book chapters Soumya Ghosh, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Oman, and Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He previously served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of the Free State from 2019 to 2023, following postdoctoral training at Thompson Rivers University, Canada (2016–2017). His research spans plant biology and microbial science, with a focus on microbial diversity and bacterial and fungal systems. He has held prior research positions at institutions in the Netherlands and Germany, including the University of Groningen, the University of Tübingen, and the Technical University of Munich, contributing to interdisciplinary work in molecular and microbial biology.Dr.Teroj A. Mohammed PhD is currently working as a microbiologist at the Basic Science Department, College of Dentistry, University of Duhok and she is a Ph.D. candidate for medical microbiology.Teroj research includes isolation, identification, and taxonomic analysis of Microbiological organisms, emphasizing those that are Zoonotic and have an impact on human health, as well as special interest on fungi that produce biologically active compound . Her most recent attraction is for fungus consevation and biodiversity. She is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Collaborator Network, and the Iraqi Mycologists newtwork . She has published more than 13 research paper journals, focusing on Microbe's human health effect and Fungal bibliography
