{"id":10023,"date":"2024-10-29T11:16:51","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T15:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/?page_id=10023"},"modified":"2025-09-17T08:44:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:44:32","slug":"naoufal-lakhssassi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/naoufal-lakhssassi\/","title":{"rendered":"Naoufal Lakhssassi"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"10023\" class=\"elementor elementor-10023\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8b7aff7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8b7aff7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-71fd06f\" data-id=\"71fd06f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5cc3557 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5cc3557\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-84ed187\" data-id=\"84ed187\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dcdeca0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"dcdeca0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-89d219a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"89d219a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eacbf57 elementor-position-left elementor-vertical-align-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"eacbf57\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1278\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/10\/Dr.-Lakhssassi-HeadShot.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-10022\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/10\/Dr.-Lakhssassi-HeadShot.jpg 1278w, https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/10\/Dr.-Lakhssassi-HeadShot-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/10\/Dr.-Lakhssassi-HeadShot-818x1024.jpg 818w, https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/10\/Dr.-Lakhssassi-HeadShot-768x962.jpg 768w, https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/10\/Dr.-Lakhssassi-HeadShot-1227x1536.jpg 1227w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h3 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\">Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/h3><p class=\"elementor-image-box-description\">Assistant Professor, PhD, Biological Sciences<br>\nGraduate Program Director - MS in Biology -<br>\nHonors College Faculty member<br>\n<b>Location:<\/b>&nbsp;DuPont Hall, Room 204<br>\n<b>Email:<\/b><a href=\"mailto:naoufal.lakhssassi@hamptonu.edu\" style=\"color: #0170B9;text-decoration: none\">\n  naoufal.lakhssassi@hamptonu.edu\n<\/a><br>\n<b>Expertise:<\/b> Molecular Biology, Plant physiology, genetics, Functional genomics, and mutational breeding.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-068712c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"068712c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Dr. Lakhssassi joined the Department of Biological Sciences at Hampton University as an Assistant Professor in 2024. Dr. Lakhssassi published 47 referred manuscripts, one book chapter, eight patent applications, and 15 grants from various funding agencies. Dr. Lakhssassi serves as an editor and ad hoc reviewer for several peer-reviewed scientific journals and chairman organizer of the &#8220;Functional Genomics&#8221; workshop at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference.<\/p><h3><strong>Education<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong>Ph.D.<\/strong>\u00a0[2011] Universidad de Malaga, Spain: Plant Biology, Plant Pathology, Cell &amp; Molecular Biology<\/p><p><strong>M.S.<\/strong>\u00a0[2010] Universidad de Malaga, Spain: Biomolecular Engineering and Microbiology<\/p><p><strong>DEA<\/strong>\u00a0[2007] Universidad de Malaga, Spain: Cell and Molecular Biology<\/p><p><strong>B.S.<\/strong>\u00a0[2005] University Abdelmalek Essadi, Morocco: Biotechnology<\/p><h3><strong>Professional Positions Held<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong>Assistant Professor<br \/><\/strong>Hampton University (HU), Carbondale<br \/>August 2024 &#8211; Present<br \/>Department of Biological Sciences, School of Science.<\/p><p><strong>Associate Scientist<br \/><\/strong>Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale<br \/>May 2018 \u2013 August 2024<br \/>Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems, College of Agricultural Sciences.<\/p><p><strong>Researcher<br \/><\/strong>Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale<br \/>January 2018-May 2018<br \/>Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems, College of Agricultural Sciences.<\/p><p><strong>Post-Doctoral Associate<br \/><\/strong>Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale<br \/>October 2016 &#8211; December 2017<br \/>Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems, College of Agricultural Sciences.<\/p><p><strong>Post-Doctoral Associate<br \/><\/strong>Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale<br \/>April 2016 &#8211; September 2016<br \/>Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, College of Engineering.<\/p><p><strong>Post-Doctoral Associate<br \/><\/strong>Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale<br \/>October 2012 &#8211; March 2016<br \/>Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems, College of Agricultural Sciences.<\/p><p><strong>Research Scientist<br \/><\/strong>University of Malaga, Spain<br \/>October 2010 &#8211; January 2012<br \/>Plant Biology and Biotechnology Lab, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department, College of Life Science.<br \/>European Union (EU) Research program.<\/p><h3><strong>Awards and Recognitions<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong>Awards:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><strong>2022 Inventor of the Year Award<\/strong>. Southern Illinois University System.<\/li><li><strong>2018 NSF Conference Award<\/strong>. 17th Biennial Conference Molecular and Cellular Biology of Soybean (Soy 2018).<\/li><li><strong>2017 NSF WSRC10 Conference Award<\/strong>. 10th World Soybean Research Conference.<\/li><li><strong>2025 HU Faculty Research Grant Award<\/strong><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Scholarships \/ Fellowships:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><strong>2012 Post-Doctoral Excellence Fellowship.\u00a0<\/strong>Universidad de Malaga.<\/li><li><strong>2007-2010 PhD Scholarship.\u00a0<\/strong>Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<\/li><li><strong>2007 Research Scholarship of Excellence<\/strong>. Junta Committee Andalusia, Spain.<\/li><li><strong>2006 DEA Scholarship.<\/strong>\u00a0Spanish Ministry of Education and Sciences, MEC.<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Other:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.news.siu.edu\/20221013-saluki-pride-naoufal-lakhssassi-uses-genes-to-help-plants-resist-diseases-and-improve-their-seed-composition\/\">https:\/\/blog.news.siu.edu\/20221013-saluki-pride-naoufal-lakhssassi-uses-genes-to-help-plants-resist-diseases-and-improve-their-seed-composition\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/orcid.org\/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-8255-9419\">https:\/\/orcid.org\/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-8255-9419<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;hl=en<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webofscience.com\/wos\/author\/record\/AGH-0128-2022\">https:\/\/www.webofscience.com\/wos\/author\/record\/AGH-0128-2022<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scopus.com\/authid\/detail.uri?authorId=55070619200\">https:\/\/www.scopus.com\/authid\/detail.uri?authorId=55070619200<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/blog\/2025\/05\/20\/prestigious-university-awards-honor-faculty-excellence-hamptons-continued-emphasis-on-research\/\">https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/blog\/2025\/05\/20\/prestigious-university-awards-honor-faculty-excellence-hamptons-continued-emphasis-on-research\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/blog\/2025\/07\/01\/hampton-university-scientist-cracks-billion-dollar-crop-mystery-discovers-game-changing-soybean-genes\/\">https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/blog\/2025\/07\/01\/hampton-university-scientist-cracks-billion-dollar-crop-mystery-discovers-game-changing-soybean-genes\/<\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3><strong>Patent Applications<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi,<\/strong> Khalid Meksem. Soybean Lines with High Seed Protein and Steady to High Oil Content. Publication date. 2023\/5\/18. Patent office: US. Application number #18050658\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:_xSYboBqXhAC\">https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:_xSYboBqXhAC<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Dounya Knizia, Zhou Zhou, Khalid Meksem. Soybean Lines with Low Saturated Fatty Acid and High Oleic Acid Contents. Publication date: 2022\/12\/1. Patent office: US. Application number #17827259.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:D03iK_w7-QYC\">https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:D03iK_w7-QYC<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Khalid Meksem, Dounya Knizia. Compositions and Methods to Increase Oleic Acid Content in Soybeans. Publication date 2022\/11\/17. Patent office: US. Application number #17745148.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:a0OBvERweLwC\">https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:a0OBvERweLwC<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Khalid Meksem, Henry Nguyen, Mariola Klepadlo, Gunvant Patil. Broad Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode. Publication date 2020\/8\/27. Patent office: US. Application number #16739985.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:GnPB-g6toBAC\">https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?view_op=view_citation&amp;hl=en&amp;user=30-NnXoAAAAJ&amp;cstart=20&amp;pagesize=80&amp;citation_for_view=30-NnXoAAAAJ:GnPB-g6toBAC<\/a><\/p><h3><strong>Patent Received<\/strong><\/h3><ol><li>Naoufal Lakhssassi, Zhou Zhou, Dounya Knizya, and Khalid Meksem. Soybean lines with low saturated fatty acid and high oleic acid contents, 2025. <b>US Patent #63\/193,705.<\/b><\/li><li>Naoufal Lakhssassi, Dounya Knizya, and Khalid Meksem. Compositions and methods to increase oleic acid content in soybeans, 2025. <b>US Patent #63\/188,993.<\/b><\/li><\/ol><h3><strong>Curricula Development and Teaching Assignments<\/strong><\/h3><p><b>Introduction to Biology course and lab<\/b> (BIO-103), School of Science, Hampton University (2024 \u2013 Present).<\/p><p><b>Molecular Biology course<\/b> (BIO-312), School of Science, Hampton University (2025\u00a0\u2013 Present).<\/p><p><b>Introduction to Biology II lab<\/b>\u00a0(BIO-106), School of Science, Hampton University (2025\u00a0\u2013 Present).<\/p><p><b>Introduction to Biology I lab<\/b>\u00a0(BIO-105), School of Science, Hampton University (2024 \u2013 Present).<\/p><p><strong>Plant genetics course and lab<\/strong>\u00a0(CSEM-305), College of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (2012 \u2013 2022).<\/p><p><strong>Seminar<\/strong>\u00a0(PSAS-581), College of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (2012 \u2013 2022).<\/p><p><strong>Molecular biology and biotechnology<\/strong> courses and lab, College of Life Science, Malaga University (2009 &#8211; 2012).<strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><br \/><strong><br \/>Microbiology<\/strong>\u00a0course and lab, College of Life Science, Malaga University (2006 \u2013 2007).<\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong><em><u>Current \u2013 Hampton University<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p><p><strong><em><u>Research Interests<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p><p>Dr. Lakhssassi is a plant nematologist, molecular physiologist, geneticist, and genomicist who was actively involved in discovering and cloning novel disease-resistant genes involved in nematode infections, and seed-trait improvement using modern experimental approaches, including germplasm selection, haplotype associations, marker identification, mutational breeding, hairy root transformation, breeding by design, TILLING-by-sequencing<sup>+<\/sup>, and MutMap<sup>+<\/sup> technologies. His research mainly focuses on deciphering the mechanistic reaction of how plants can fight nematode attacks and develop plant-resistant varieties. This is in addition to the identification of gene candidates underlying economically important qualities like protein, fatty acid, vitamins, and carbohydrates.<\/p><p><strong><em><u>Selected Publications<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p><p><strong>(GS-h-index: 23, GS-i10-index: 33, GS-Citations &gt; 4200, RG-Number of reads &gt; 28,100). <\/strong><\/p><ol start=\"47\"><li><strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Abdelhalim El Baze, Dounya Knizia, Yasser Salhi, Mohamed G Embaby, Erdem Anil, Cullen Mallory, Aicha Lakhssassi, Jonas Meksem, Haiying Shi, Tri D. Vuong, Kenza Meksem, Abdelmajid Kassem, Amer AbuGhazaleh, Henry T. Nguyen, Nacer Bellaloui, Adnane Boualem, and Khalid Meksem. A Sucrose Binding Protein and \u03b2-Conglycinins regulate soybean seed protein content and control multiple seed traits.<strong> <em>Plant Physiology<\/em>, 2024.<\/strong><\/li><li>T Islam, TT Sarker, KR Ahmed,<strong>\u00a0N Lakhssassi.\u00a0<\/strong>Detection and Classification of Cannabis Seeds Using RetinaNet and Faster R-CNN.\u00a0<strong><em>Seeds<\/em>, 2024<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>3 (3), 456-478.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.3390%2Fseeds3030031&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSHAWN.DASH%40HAMPTONU.EDU%7C5709e7afc1a44b0c378308ddf4c18005%7C77d9a61806704cea80d14ce274153527%7C0%7C0%7C638935834099661551%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=JeDawMl2AW%2BnncA9mM8fXoB6yU0%2BWylQrWT5JCJowmw%3D&amp;reserved=0\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/seeds3030031<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Sushil S. Chhapekar, Vikas Devkar, Dounya Knizia, Abdelhalim El Baze, Heng Ye, Tri Vuong, Gunvant Patil, Henry Nguyen, Khalid Meksem.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Discovery of two tightly linked soybean genes at the qSCN-10 locus conferring broad-spectrum resistance to SCN.\u00a0<strong><em>Nature Comm. Biology<\/em>, 2025.\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1038%2Fs42003-025-07633-8&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSHAWN.DASH%40HAMPTONU.EDU%7C5709e7afc1a44b0c378308ddf4c18005%7C77d9a61806704cea80d14ce274153527%7C0%7C0%7C638935834099651178%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=awqhEO7sX%2B4%2B4q59Lk5ElZJSshsqhmX12Y1QsWlPfkM%3D&amp;reserved=0\">Https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s42003-025-07633-8<\/a>\u00a0<\/li><li>Dounya Knizia, Erdem Anil, Yasser Salhi, Haiying Shi, Abdelhalim El Baze, My Abdelmajid Kassem,\u00a0<strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Henry T Nguyen, Khalid Meksem. Improving Soybean Seed Sucrose Content using Tilling by Sequencing Analyses of The Soybean Sucrose Synthase Gene Family.\u00a0<strong><em>Frontiers in Plant Science, 2025.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.3389%2Ffpls.2025.1606321&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSHAWN.DASH%40HAMPTONU.EDU%7C5709e7afc1a44b0c378308ddf4c18005%7C77d9a61806704cea80d14ce274153527%7C0%7C0%7C638935834099640356%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=XqrNDX%2FKiH8UUNWVVLg7AYA6rEs18ilH6kjjGexINkY%3D&amp;reserved=0\"><em>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpls.2025.1606321<\/em><\/a><\/li><li>Farhang Awlqadr, Ammar B. Altemimi, Syamand\u00a0Qadir, Othman\u00a0Mohammed, Mohammed\u00a0Saeed, Mohammad Ali Hesarinejad,\u00a0<strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi.\u00a0<\/strong>Bioactive Compounds, Medicinal Benefits, and Contemporary Extrac-tion Methods for Lemon balm (<em>Melissa officinalis<\/em>)<strong>.\u00a0<em>Food Science &amp; Nutrition<\/em>, 2025.\u00a0<em><u>In Press<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/li><li><u><\/u>Dounya Knizia, Nacer Bellaloui, Jiazheng Yuan,<strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi, <\/strong>Erdem Anil, Tri Vuong, Mohamed G. Embaby, Henry T Nguyen, Alemu Mengistu, Khalid Meksem, Abdelmajid My Kassem. QTL and Candidate Genes that Control Seed Sugars Contents in the Soybean \u2018Forrest\u2019 By \u2018Williams 82\u2019 RIL Population. <strong><em>Plants, <\/em><\/strong><strong>2023. <\/strong><\/li><li>Sarbottam Piya, Vince Pantalone, Sobhan Bahrami Zadegan, Sarah Shipp,<strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi, <\/strong>Dounya Knizia, Hari B Krishnan, Khalid Meksem, Tarek Hewezi. <u>Soybean gene co-expression network analysis identifies two co-regulated gene modules associated with nodule formation and development.<\/u> <strong><em>Molecular Plant Pathology<\/em>, 2023<\/strong>.<\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi, <\/strong>Dounya Knizia, Abdelhalim El Baze, Aicha Lakhssassi, Jonas Meksem, and Khalid Meksem. <u>Proteomic, transcriptomic, mutational and functional assays reveal the involvement of both THF and PLP sites at the GmSHMT08 in resistance to soybean cyst nematode<\/u>. <strong><em>Int. J. Mol. Sci.<\/em>,<\/strong> <strong>2022.<\/strong><\/li><li>Dounya Knizia, Jiazheng Yuan, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssasi<\/strong>, Abdelhalim El Baze, Mallory Cullen, Tri Vuong, Henry T. Nguyen, My Abdelmajid Kassem and Khalid Meksem. QTL and Candidate Genes for Seed Tocopherol Content in \u2018Forrest\u2019 By \u2018Williams 82\u2019 Recombinant Inbred Line (RIL) Population of Soybean. <strong><em>Plants, <\/em>2022<em>. <\/em><\/strong><\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi, <\/strong>Valeria L. Caitar, Dounya Knizia, Mallory A. Cullen, Oussama Badad, Abdelhalim El Baze, Zhou Zhou, Mohamed G. Embaby, Jonas Meksem, Aicha Lakhssassi, Pengyin Chen, Amer AbuGhazaleh, Tri D. Vuong, Henry T. Nguyen, Tarek Hewezi and Khalid Meksem. TILLING-by-Sequencing<sup>+<\/sup> reveals the role of novel Fatty acid desaturases (GmFAD2-2s) in increasing soybean seed oleic acid content. <strong><em>Cells<\/em><\/strong><strong>, 2021. <\/strong><\/li><li><strong> Lakhssassi, N.; <\/strong>Zhou, Z.; Cullen, M.A.; Badad, O.; El Baze, A.; Chetto, O.; Embaby, M.G.; Knizia, D.; Liu, S.; Neves, L.G.; Meksem, K. TILLING-by-Sequencing<sup>+<\/sup> to Decipher Oil Biosynthesis Pathway in Soybeans: A New and Effective Platform for High-Throughput Gene Functional Analysis. <strong><em>Int. J. Mol. Sci.<\/em><\/strong> <strong>2021.<\/strong><\/li><li>Mariola Klepadlo*, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>*, Gunvant Patil, Tri D. Vuong, Sarbottam Piya, Tarek Hewezi, Robert T. Robbins, Robert M. Stupar, Khalid Meksem, Henry T. Nguyen. <u>Dissecting nematode resistance regions in soybean reveals pleiotropic effect of soybean cyst and reniform nematode resistance genes.<\/u> <strong><em>Plant Genome, <\/em>2021.<\/strong><\/li><li>Oussama Badad, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Nabil Zaid, Abdelhalim El Baze, Younes Zaid, Jonas Meksem, David A Lightfoot, Huseyin Tombuloglu, El Houcine Zaid, Turgay Unver, Khalid Meksem. High-resolution DNA methylation profiling of wild and cultivated olives reveals Domestication fingerprint on phenolic compounds metabolism. <strong><em>Plants<\/em>, 2021.<\/strong><\/li><li>Zhou Zhou,<strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Dounya Knizia, Abdelhalim El Baze, Zhou Zhou, Cullen Mallory, Oussama Badad, Jonas Meksem, Aicha Lakhssassi, Tri D. Vuong, Henry T. Nguyen, and Khalid Meksem. Characterization and functional genomic studies of soybean acyl-acp thioesterase gene family reveal novel alleles of <em>FAT<\/em> to alter fatty acid composition in soybean seed. <strong><em>TAG,<\/em><\/strong> <strong>2021.<\/strong><\/li><li>Dounya Knizia, Jiazheng Yuan, Nacer Bellaloui, Tri Vuong, Mariola Usovsky, Qijan Song, Frances Betts, Teresa Register, Earl Williams, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssasi<\/strong>, Henry T. Nguyen, Khalid Meksem, Alemu Mengistu, and My Abdelmajid Kassem. The Soybean High Density \u2018Forrest\u2019 by \u2018Williams 82\u2019 SNP\u2010Based Genetic Linkage Map Identifies QTL and Candidate Genes for Seed Isoflavone Content. <strong><em>Plants<\/em><\/strong>, <strong>2021<\/strong>.<\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Zhou Zhou, Shiming Liu, Sarbottam Piya, Gunvant B. Patil, Mallory A. Cullen, Abdelhalim El Baz, Oussama Badad, Mohamed G. Embaby, Jonas Meksem, Aicha Lakhssassi, Amer AbuGhazaleh, Michael Fromm, Henry Nguyen, Tarek Hewezi, and Khalid Meksem. Soybean TILLING-by-Sequencing<sup>+<\/sup> reveals the role of novel GmSACPD members in the unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis while maintaining healthy nodules. <strong><em>Experimental Botany, <\/em>2020.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Azam Baharlouei, Jonas Meksem, Scott D. Hamilton-Brehm, David A. Lightfoot, Khalid Meksem, and Yanna Liang. EMS-induced mutagenesis of <em>Clostridium carboxidivorans<\/em> for increased atmospheric CO<sub>2<\/sub> reduction efficiency and solvent production. <strong><em>Microorganisms,<\/em><\/strong> <strong>2020<\/strong>.<\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Sarbottam Piya, Dounya Knizia, Abdelhalim El Baze, Cullen Mallory, Jonas Meksem, Aicha Lakhssassi, Tarek Hewezi, and Khalid Meksem. <u>Mutations at the Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase impact its interaction with a Soluble NSF Attachment Protein and a Pathogenesis\u2010Related Protein in soybean<\/u>. <strong><em>Vaccines<\/em>, 2020<\/strong>, (8) 349.<\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi, <\/strong>Sarbottam Piya, Sadia Bekal, Shiming Liu, Zhou Zhou, Catherine Bergounioux, Long Miao, Jonas Meksem, Aicha Lakhssassi, Karen Jones, My Abdelmajid Kassem, Moussa Benhamed, Abdelhafid Bendahmane, Kris Lambert, Adnane Boualem, Tarek Hewezi, and Khalid Meksem. <u>A pathogenesis related protein GmPR10-08 promotes a molecular interaction between the GmSHMT08 and GmSNAP18 in resistance to <em>Heterodera glycines<\/em><\/u>. <strong><em>Plant Biotechnology, 2020<\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong><\/li><li>Zhou Zhou*, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>*, Mallory A. Cullen, Abdelhalim El Baz, Tri D. Vuong, Henry T. Nguyen, and Khalid Meksem. Assessment of phenotypic variations and correlation among seed composition traits in mutagenized soybean populations. <strong><em>Genes<\/em><\/strong>, <strong>2019<\/strong>. 27;10(12). pii: E975. doi: 10.3390\/genes10120975.<\/li><li><strong> Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Gunvant Patil, Sarbottam Piya, Zhou Zhou, Azam Baharlouei, Abdelmajid Kassem, David Lightfoot, Dr. Tarek Hewezi, Abdelali Barakat, Henry Nguyen, and Khalid Meksem. <u>Genome reorganization of the <em>GmSHMT<\/em> gene family in soybean showed a lack of functional redundancy in resistance to soybean cyst nematode<\/u>. <strong><em>Scientific report<\/em><\/strong>, <strong>2019<\/strong>. 9:1506 | https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-018-37815-w.<\/li><li>Gunvant B. Patil*, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi*<\/strong>, Jinrong Wan, Li Song, Zhou Zhou, Mariola Klepadlo, Tri D. Vuong, Adrian O. Stec, Sondus S. Kahil, Vincent Colantonio, Babu Valliyodan, Hollis Rice, Sarbottam Piya, Tarek Hewezi, Robert M. Stupar, Khalid Meksem and Henry T. Nguyen. <u>Whole genome re-sequencing reveals the impact of copy number variants of the <em>Rhg4<\/em> gene on broad-based resistance to soybean cyst nematode<\/u>. <strong><em>Plant Biotechnology<\/em><\/strong>, <strong>2019<\/strong>. doi: 10.1111\/pbi.13086.<\/li><li>Vitor Amorim-Silva, \u00c1lvaro Garc\u00eda-Moreno, Araceli Castillo, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi, <\/strong>Alicia Esteban, Abel Rosado, J\u00e9ssica P\u00e9rez-Sancho, Yansha Li, Pepa P\u00e9rez-Rodriguez, Victoriano Valpuesta, Cyril Zipfel, Alberto Macho, Miguel A Botella. TTL proteins scaffold brassinosteroid signaling components at the plasma membrane to optimize signal transduction in Arabidopsis. <strong><em>Plant <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Cell, 2019<\/em><\/strong>. (31):1807\u20131828, doi\/10.1105\/tpc.19.00150.<\/li><li>James Anderson*, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi*<\/strong>, Stella K. Kantartzi, and Khalid Meksem. Non-hypothesis Analysis of a Mutagenic Soybean (Glycine max [L.]) Population for Protein and Fatty Acid Composition. <strong><em>Journal of the American Oil Chemists&#8217; Society<\/em>, 2018.<\/strong> DOI 10.1002\/aocs.12063.<\/li><li><strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Colantonio V, Flowers ND, Zhou Z, Henry J, Liu S, Meksem K. Stearoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Desaturase Mutations Uncover an Impact of Stearic Acid in Leaf and Nodule Structure. <strong><em>Plant Physiology,<\/em> 2017.<\/strong> Jul;174(3):1531-1543. doi: 10.1104\/pp.16.01929. Epub 2017 May 1.<\/li><li><strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Liu S, Bekal S, Zhou Z, Colantonio V, Lambert K, Barakat A, Meksem K. <u>Characterization of the Soluble NSF Attachment Protein gene family identifies two members involved in additive resistance to a plant pathogen<\/u>. <strong><em>Scientific Reports,<\/em> 2017<\/strong>. Mar 24;7:45226. doi: 10.1038\/srep45226.<\/li><li><strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Zhou Z, Liu S, Colantonio V, AbuGhazaleh A, Meksem K. Characterization of the FAD2 Gene Family in Soybean Reveals the Limitations of Gel-Based TILLING in Genes with High Copy Number. <strong><em>Frontiers in Plant Science,<\/em> 2017.<\/strong> Mar 13;8:324. doi: 10.3389\/fpls.2017.00324. eCollection 2017.<\/li><li>Liu S, Kandoth PK, <strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Kang J, Colantonio V, Heinz R, Yeckel G, Zhou Z, Bekal S, Dapprich J, Rotter B, Cianzio S, Mitchum MG, Meksem K. <u>The soybean GmSNAP18 gene underlies two types of resistance to soybean cyst nematode<\/u>. <strong><em>Nature Communications,<\/em> 2017.<\/strong> Mar 27;8:14822. doi: 10.1038\/ncomms14822.<\/li><li>Kandoth PK, Liu S, <strong>Lakhssassi N<\/strong>, Dhroso A, Ludwig AP, Elizabeth KJ, Heinz, Robert H, Amanda P, Wayne LP, Tucke D, Jacobs T, Korkin D, Meksem K, Mitchum M. <u>Role of Rhg4-encoded serine hydroxymethyltransferase in resistance to SCN<\/u>. <strong><em>Phytopathology<\/em><\/strong>, 2017. 107(1): 5.<\/li><li>Kandoth PK, Liu S, Prenger E, Ludwig A, <strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Heinz R, Zhou Z, Howland A, Gunther J, Eidson S, Dhroso A, LaFayette P, Tucker D, Johnson S, Anderson J, Alaswad A, Cianzio SR, Parrott WA, Korkin D, Meksem K, Mitchum MG. <u>Systematic mutagenesis of serine hydroxymethyltransferase reveals essential role in nematode resistance<\/u>. <strong><em>Plant Physiology,<\/em> 2017.<\/strong> Nov;175(3):1370-1380. doi: 10.1104\/pp.17.00553. Epub 2017 Sep 14.<\/li><li>Meksem K, Liu S, Pramod K, <strong>Lakhssassi N<\/strong>, Colantonio V, Kang Jingwen; HR, Yeckel G, Zhou Z, Bekal S, Dapprich, J, Rotter B, Cianzio S, Mitchum, Melissa G. <u>The GmSNAP18 is the Peking-type <em>rhg1-a<\/em> gene for resistance to soybean cyst nematode<\/u>. <strong><em>Phytopathology<\/em><\/strong>, 2017. 107.<\/li><li>Bekal S, Domier LL, Gonfa B, <strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Meksem K, Lambert KN. <u>A SNARE-Like Protein and Biotin Are Implicated in Soybean Cyst Nematode Virulence.<\/u> <strong><em>PLoS One,<\/em><\/strong><strong> 2015.<\/strong> Dec 29;10(12):e0145601. doi: 10.1371\/journal.pone.0145601. eCollection 2015.<\/li><li><strong>Lakhssassi N,<\/strong> Doblas VG, Rosado A, del Valle AE, Pos\u00e9 D, Jimenez AJ, Castillo AG, Valpuesta V, Borsani O, Botella MA. The arabidopsis TETRATRICOPEPTIDE THIOREDOXIN-LIKE gene family is required for osmotic stress tolerance and male sporogenesis. <strong><em>Plant Physiology,<\/em> 2012.<\/strong> Mar;158(3):1252-66. doi: 10.1104\/pp.111.188920. Epub 2012 Jan 9.<\/li><li><strong> Book Chapter:<\/strong><\/li><li>Liu Shiming, <strong>Naoufal Lakhssassi<\/strong>, Zhou Zhou, Vincent Colantonio, My Abdelmajid Kassem, and Khalid Meksem.Soybean Genomic Libraries, TILLING, and Genetic Resources.<strong> <em>Springer-Nature soybean genome book, <\/em>2017<\/strong>. DOI <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-319-64198-0_9\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-319-64198-0_9<\/a>.<\/li><\/ol><p><strong><em><u>Professional Affiliations<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Chairman Workshop Organizer:<\/strong><\/p><ol><li>Functional Genomics workshop, Plant and Animal Genome Conference, San Diego, CA (since 2020).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/plan.core-apps.com\/pag_2023\/event\/3cee484866e6d00c5e492240c4d5549c\">https:\/\/plan.core-apps.com\/pag_2023\/event\/3cee484866e6d00c5e492240c4d5549c<\/a>.<\/li><li>American Moroccan Agricultural, Health, and Life Sciences (AMAHLS) conference, Morocco (since 2013).\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/amahls.org\/program\/\">https:\/\/amahls.org\/program\/<\/a><\/li><\/ol><p><em><strong><u>Current Grants:<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/p><ol><li>Genetic Strategies for Increasing the Nutritional Value of Soybeans, 2025-2026, HU Faculty Development Grant Awards.<\/li><li>Developing Soybean Genotypes with Reduced\/Removed Trypsin Inhibitor and Lectin in Seed, 2024-2027, United States Department of Agriculture, USDA\/NIFA\/AFRI.<\/li><\/ol><p><strong>\u00a0Editorial Board Member:<\/strong><\/p><ol><li>Special issue editor \u201c<strong><em>Plant Nematode Resistance: Molecular Mechanisms, Gene Identification, and Breeding Strategies<\/em><\/strong>&#8221; in the\u00a0<em>Plants journal (IF= 4.1) since 2025.\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2Fjournal%2Fplants%2Fspecial_issues%2F3V91Q5EX0T&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSHAWN.DASH%40HAMPTONU.EDU%7C5709e7afc1a44b0c378308ddf4c18005%7C77d9a61806704cea80d14ce274153527%7C0%7C0%7C638935834099672392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2fEpZun9qbNCIJRQLZtCz7ym47Q4SHeq5YeB%2B4l9bug%3D&amp;reserved=0\"><em>https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/plants\/special_issues\/3V91Q5EX0T<\/em><\/a><\/li><li><em>\u00a0<\/em>Special issue editor \u201c<strong><em>Advances in Research for Legume Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding, 2nd Edition&#8221;\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><em>in the<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>International Journal of Molecular Sciences Journal (IF= 6.2) since 2023. \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2Fjournal%2Fijms%2Fspecial_issues%2F_Legume&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSHAWN.DASH%40HAMPTONU.EDU%7C5709e7afc1a44b0c378308ddf4c18005%7C77d9a61806704cea80d14ce274153527%7C0%7C0%7C638935834099683119%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=8%2Fm0T0oNaShg0fUjQeViShZqSnF%2BVHGi3GztW5Zjl%2Bo%3D&amp;reserved=0\"><em>https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/ijms\/special_issues\/_Legume<\/em><\/a><\/li><li>Special issue editor &#8220;Plant Development and Hormonal Signaling&#8221; in the\u00a0<em>International Journal of Molecular Sciences<\/em>\u00a0(IF= 6.2) since 2023.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/ijms\/special_issues\/_plant_hormonal\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/ijms\/special_issues\/_plant_hormonal<\/a><\/li><li>Special issue editor &#8220;Advances in Research for Legume Genomics, Genetics, and Breeding 1.0 &amp; 2.0&#8221; in the\u00a0<em>International Journal of Molecular Sciences<\/em>\u00a0(IF= 6.2) since 2021.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/ijms\/special_issues\/Legume_Genetics\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/ijms\/special_issues\/Legume_Genetics<\/a><\/li><li>Special issue editor &#8220;Special Issue on Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Resistance to Nematodes and Fungi&#8221; in Plants\u00a0(IF= 4.0, ISSN 2223-7747) since 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/plants\/special_issues\/3RE032C4N6\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/plants\/special_issues\/3RE032C4N6<\/a><\/li><li>Topical Advisory Panel in\u00a0<em>Antibiotics<\/em>\u00a0journal (IF= 4.63) since 2021.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/antibiotics\/topic_editors\">https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/journal\/antibiotics\/topic_editors<\/a><\/li><li>Editorial Board Member in\u00a0<em>SciTechnol<\/em>\u00a0journal since 2018.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scitechnol.com\/editor-profile\/Naoufal_Lakhssassi_PhD\/\">https:\/\/www.scitechnol.com\/editor-profile\/Naoufal_Lakhssassi_PhD\/<\/a><\/li><li>Board of directors of the High Council of Moroccan American Scholars and Academics (HC-MASA\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hc-masa.org\/board-of-directors\/\">https:\/\/hc-masa.org\/board-of-directors\/<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi Assistant Professor, PhD, Biological Sciences Graduate Program Director &#8211; MS in Biology &#8211; Honors College Faculty member Location:&nbsp;DuPont Hall, Room 204 Email: naoufal.lakhssassi@hamptonu.edu Expertise: Molecular Biology, Plant physiology, genetics, Functional genomics, and mutational breeding. Dr. Lakhssassi joined the Department of Biological Sciences at Hampton University as an Assistant Professor [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_mc_calendar":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10023","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Naoufal Lakhssassi - School Of Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/home.hamptonu.edu\/science\/naoufal-lakhssassi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Naoufal Lakhssassi - School Of Science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi Dr. Naoufal Lakhssassi Assistant Professor, PhD, Biological Sciences Graduate Program Director &#8211; MS in Biology &#8211; Honors College Faculty member Location:&nbsp;DuPont Hall, Room 204 Email: naoufal.lakhssassi@hamptonu.edu Expertise: Molecular Biology, Plant physiology, genetics, Functional genomics, and mutational breeding. 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