Biography
Bilal Ahmad got his bachelors degree in 2013 from Gomal University, Pakistan majoring in Biotechnology. In 2014, he was then selected for a fully funded Turkish Govt scholarship and completed his Masters in Biotechnology from Izmir Institute of Technology (IZTECH) Turkey under the supervision of Associate Prof. Dr Ali OGUZ Buyukillici. In 2018, Bilal joined School of Biosciences in Taylor’s University Malaysia for his PhD, and did research on the Anti-Obesity effects of Methoxylated and Hydroxylated Flavones in collaboration with the University of Kent UK. After completion of PhD, in summer 2023, Bilal joined Biao Wang’s Lab as a Postdoctoral Scholar in University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and researched on the beige adipocytes plasticity in mice. In May 2024, Bilal joined Prof. Dr Irfan Lodhi’s Lab as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis, and is currently working on the thermogenic effects of brown adipose tissues in mice.
Research Interests
Obesity is a widespread disorder, and is caused due to the excessive accumulation of fats in white adipose tissues. Its prevalence has become a critical concern worldwide, due to its association with common co-morbidities like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The key driving force of obesity is the imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Brown adipose tissue is responsible for the dissipation of energy as heat to maintain optimal thermogenesis. Its activity is inversely related to the occurrence of obesity. It oxidizes glucose and fatty acids to generate heat. Thus, understanding the intricacies of brown adipose tissue, and investigating the involvement of new transcription factors, genes, proteins will help us to find new ways for the treatment of obesity and associated disorders caused by obesity.