Position: Associate Professor
Affiliation: The Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC)
Dr. Mahmoud Gargouri is an Associate Professor of Plant Systems Biology at the Centre of Biotechnology of Borj Cedria (CBBC), Tunisia, and a Senior Scientist at UCLouvain, Belgium, where he is also a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow. His research lies at the intersection of plant-microbiome interactions, stress physiology, and sustainable agriculture, with a focus on enhancing crop resilience in arid and semi-arid regions.
Dr. Gargouri earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Bordeaux (France), following early research on abiotic stress tolerance in grapevine. His doctoral work focused on the structure and enzymatic function of flavan-3-ols in grapevine. He pursued postdoctoral training at Washington State University (USA), where he developed computational and systems biology tools to engineer metabolic networks in microalgae for biofuel production.
He currently leads national and international projects targeting plant-soil-microbe interactions and agroecological innovations in crops such as grapevine, date palm, legumes, and cactus. His integrative approach combines multi-omics, microbial symbiosis, and bioresource valorization to promote sustainable agricultural systems. Dr. Gargouri has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and is actively engaged as a mentor, invited speaker, and editorial board member in plant science journals.