Dr. Meryem Zaim is a durum wheat pre-breeder working to develop superior varieties with improved and consistent yields under increasing climate variability and environmental stress. Her research focuses on harnessing the genetic diversity conserved in genebanks and integrating it into modern breeding programs to enhance resilience, particularly to drought and other stresses.
She collaborates with national and international partners across Lebanon, Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other countries, promoting participatory approaches that actively involve farmers in the evaluation and adaptation of improved germplasm under real field conditions.
Dr. Zaim holds a PhD in Plant Biotechnology and Breeding from Mohammed V University in Rabat and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Hassan II University in Casablanca. She has published extensively on the valorization of genebank diversity and the application of genomic tools to accelerate breeding for climate resilience.