Khalil is a soil microbiologist at the University of Western Australia, investigating the role of beneficial microbes in soil fertility, plant nutrition, and carbon sequestration. His expertise extends to enhancing plant performance in both agricultural and natural ecosystems in an eco-friendly manner.

   Khalil completed his PhD studies at UWA (2009 to 2013), during which he discovered a novel plant-fungus symbiosis named "feremycorrhiza," published in the prestigious journal New Phytologist in 2014. ‘Fere’ means ‘nearly’ in Latin; hence, the term ‘feremycorrhiza’ refers to ‘nearly mycorrhiza’.

   From 2013 to 2018, Khalil worked as a research assistant at UWA on various soil biology and agricultural projects. In 2018, he commenced his full-time research associate position at the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment. In 2019, Khalil was awarded a three-year Postdoc Fellowship by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) to study the potential of his newly discovered symbiosis for agriculture, collaborating with Prof Zed Rengel and Dr Craig Scanlan. His postdoc project, titled "Exploiting the Potential of a Novel Fungal Biofertiliser," aimed to boost crop yield in an environmentally friendly manner and reduce chemical inputs, particularly phosphorus fertilisers, in farming systems. In 2024, Khalil was honoured with a highly prestigious four-year fellowship by the Australian Research Council (ARC) for his project titled "Novel Biofertiliser for Sustainable Agriculture: Tackling Phosphorus Crisis."

   Khalil was awarded the Rising Stars 2021 Award at the University of Western Australia (2^nd prize, 28^th Oct 2021). For this award, 14 researchers with different disciplines were selected based on their high research calibre and academic merit and presented their research to a broad audience, which included academics, donors, investors, industry partners, and the WA Minister for Agriculture and Food, Alannah MacTiernan.

   Khalil was also awarded the prestigious "Marschner Young Scientist Award" on 23 August 2022 in Brazil and was invited to give a plenary oral presentation about his research on a novel fungal biofertiliser at the IPNC 2022 in Brazil. This is a prominent international award established in honour of Professor Horst Marschner.

Additionally, Khalil has been involved in supervising MSc and PhD students at the UWA.

My research mainly focuses on the role of beneficial soil microbes (such as the feremycorrhizal fungus) in soil nutrient cycling and fertility, as well as improving plant fitness in production and natural ecosystems. Considering the damage and pollution caused by the intensive use of chemical fertilisers/pesticides worldwide, it is crucial to exploit the potential of soil microorganisms to sustain the environment, i.e. mimicking the Nature's way to save the planet.

Feremycorrhiza, Mycorrhiza, Soil Microbiology, Nutrient Cycling, Soil Fertility, Stress Tolerance in Plants