CARBONDALE, Ill. \u2014 Khalid Meksem, a distinguished professor of genome biotechnology and genetics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is one of 12 scientists named a 2025 Researcher to Know by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition.<\/p>\n
Meksem\u2019s research focuses on using genomics, genetics and molecular biology to instill disease resistance in plants particularly to nematodes, boost crop yields and increase protein and oil content of soybean seeds.<\/p>\n
He is also investigating how to improve crops\u2019 resilience to climate change. Ultimately, he aims to translate molecular discoveries into practical applications that enhance global food security.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreakthroughs in plant genetics and genomics must go hand-in-hand with accessibility and farmer adoption,\u201d Meksem said. \u201cThis ensures science serves both sustainability and equity.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Meksem\u2019s three decades at SIU, his research has garnered more than $25 million in external funding from federal, state, industry and commodity sources, and he holds seven patents related to soybean seed improvement.<\/p>\n
A Fulbright Senior Scholar, he serves as editor in chief and associate editor of several international scientific journals.<\/p>\n
He has also published 117 peer-reviewed international journal articles, edited three books and led seven publications in top-tier journals in the past two years alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith every discovery comes an unsolved question \u2014 that provides the motivation to keep going until the puzzle is solved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
ISTC selects researchers who are advancing innovation, improving lives and strengthening the state\u2019s leadership in science and technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2025 cohort of Researchers to Know exemplifies the academic rigor and curiosity that underpins innovation throughout Illinois,\u201d said Kate Calabra, ISTC\u2019s interim CEO.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir groundbreaking discoveries and diverse research interests are propelling economic growth, solidifying Illinois\u2019s leadership in shaping the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CARBONDALE, Ill. \u2014 Khalid Meksem, a distinguished professor of genome biotechnology and genetics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39211,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[272],"tags":[442,18,458,19,17,133,30077,30078,26036],"class_list":{"0":"post-39210","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-genetics","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-seed","15":"tag-southern-illinois-university","16":"tag-soybeans"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}