Dr. Munqez J. Y. Shtaya is a Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetic Engineering at An-Najah National University, where he also serves as Director of Scientific Centers. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Córdoba, Spain, with extensive research in breeding legumes and cereals for biotic and abiotic stress resistance. In addition to his prolific academic career and numerous high-impact publications, he has led and managed several international research and capacity-building projects in agriculture and biotechnology. His expertise spans gene mapping, QTL analysis, and plant genetic resource conservation, contributing to global agricultural advancements. Through his leadership, he continues to drive innovation in scientific research and sustainable agricultural practices.

Tawfiq Qubbaj is an Associate Professor of Plant Production and Protection at An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. He earned his Ph.D. from Hohenheim University, Germany, specializing in plant physiology and biotechnology. With over 20 years of experience, he has worked with many national and international organizations, such as An-Najah National University, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Guelph, UNDP, JICA, and the Ministry of Agriculture. His research focuses on mitigating a biotic and abiotic stress impacts on crop productivity, evaluation and documentation of germplasms relatedness and polymorphorisms within local agricultural plant cultivars. extending postharvest shelf life using natural plant substances, and eco-friendly pest control solutions. Dr. Qubbaj has published over 25 peer-reviewed papers and is involved in applied research projects on sustainable agriculture, water-saving techniques, soil conservation, and reducing agrochemical use. His work integrates cycle-oriented agriculture and indigenous farming practices, making him a leading agronomist committed to green growth in the food and agriculture sector.

Heba Al-Fares is assistant professor in plant biotechnology and QTL analysis. She has 20 years of experience in education, research, consultation, extension, administration, and capacity development in sustainable agriculture and related fields. Her scientific and professional work is in the area of crop improvements to alleviate stress using molecular marker as a screening methods and microorganisms to increase adaptability of plants to stress conditions. She is currently working to identify new strains of plant growth promoting bacteria. In the last 5 years she has been involved in the supervision of many MSc students in the area of water management and crop productivity, genetic biodiversity this includes the effect of salinity and drought on crop productivity. She worked as external evaluator in HORIZON 2020 and participated in proposal evaluation for more than 65 proposal. She was the head of Plant production and protection department for more than 3 years. Dr. Al-Fares is currently the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture and Vet. Med. She is also a member of International Association for Agricultural Sustainability, and International Society of Precision Agriculture. In addition to her research activity she worked as a project coordinator for Capacity building services and coaching opportunities for Palestinian Female and Male Youth – OSRO/GAZ/111/DEN – 9543469 funded by the Denmark and as a project officer for Building Community Resilience and Improving Livelihoods and Food Security through Responsible Agricultural Practices in the West Bank, Palestine funded by AFD and SIF. Steering committee member for OKP and PAAC Project funded by NUFFIC.