Dr Zahra Sadat Shobbar has got her B.Sc. of Biology-Plant Science (1997) in faculty of science, Tehran University, M.Sc. of Genetics (1999) in department of biology, Tarbiat Modarres University, and Ph.D. of Molecular Genetics & Genetic Engineering, (2007) in department of plant breeding, Tarbiat Modarres University (with the first rank at all the three levels). She performed her M.Sc. thesis at National Institute for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB) (which earned the biotechnology award of Tarbiat Modarres University), and Ph.D. thesis at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which both got the best grade (20/20). Then, she started working at ABRII. Her research focus is on discovery of genes/ mechanisms involved in abiotic stress tolerance (especially drought and salinity) at crop plants (in particular cereals) using a combination of in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches for identification, expression and functional analysis of the underlying genes, reconstruction of the stress-responsive networks, hub gene detection, and comparative analysis of crops.

Gene expression analysis of OsABF1 and OsVP1, two candidate transcription factors involved in ABA induced growth arrest , under salt, drought and cold stress in different rice varieties

Gene expression analysis of OsPP2C5, a candidate protein phosphatase involved in ABA signal transduction ,under salt, drought and cold stress in different rice varieties

Identification and cloning of Silybum marianum chalcone synthase gene/gene family

Functional analysis of two drought responsive genes (OsVP1 and OsPP2C5( through study of rice mutant lines

Expression analysis of the candidate genes involved in soluble carbohydrate accumulation in barley genotypes under drought stress condition

Database establishment of drought stress responsive genes in rice

In silico promoter, TF and TFBS analysis of drought stress responsive genes in rice

In silico analysis of protein sequence, motifs, domains, protein – protein interactions of drought stress responsive genes in rice

In silico analysis of barley transcriptome in response to drought

Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) Family in Barley: Identification of Members, Enzyme Activity and Gene Expression Pattern

Expression analysis of sodium transporters encoding genes (SOS1, HKT1 and NHX1) in two Iranian wheat varieties differing in salt tolerance

Studying the effects of salt stress on the expression of some key genes involved in fructan metabolism in wheat

Study of drought tolerance mechanism in selected grain sorghum cultivars and lines through analysis of some physiological, biochemical and molecular traits

• Mahrokh Sharbatkhari, Zahra-Sadat Shobbar *, Serrollah Galeshi, Babak Nakhoda (2016) Wheat stem reserves and salinity tolerance: molecular dissection of fructan biosynthesis and remobilization. Planta. 244(1): 191-202.
• Zahra Gerivani, Hamid Reza Sadeghipour, Mahnaz Aghdasi, Zahra-Sadat Shobbar, Majid Azimmohseni (2016) Short versus long term effects of cyanide on sugar metabolism and transport in dormant walnut kernels. Plant Science. 252: 193–204.
• Sepideh Sanjari, Zahra-Sadat Shobbar, Mohsen Ebrahimi, Tahereh Hasanloo, Seyed- Ahmad Sadat-Noori, Soodeh Tirnaz (2015) Chalcone Synthase Genes from Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum): Isolation and Expression Analysis. Journal of Genetics.94 (4):611-617.
• Ehsan Pourabed, Farzan Ghane Golmohamadi, Peyman Soleymani Monfared, Seyed Morteza Razavi, Zahra-Sadat Shobbar (2015) Basic Leucine Zipper Family in Barley: Genome-Wide Characterization of Members and Expression Analysis. Molecular Biotechnology. 57:12-26.
• Mohammad Kazem Rezaei, Zahra-Sadat Shobbar*, Maryam Shahbazi, Raha Abedini, Sajjad Zare (2013) Glutathione S-transferase (GST) family in barley: Identification of members, enzyme activity, and gene expression pattern. Journal of Plant Physiology, 170 (14): 1277-1284.
• Amin Karami, Maryam Shahbazi*, Vahid Niknam, Zahra Sadat Shobbar, Razieh Sarabadani Tafreshi, Raha Abedini, Hasan Ebrahimzadeh Mabood (2013) Expression analysis of dehydrin multigene family across tolerant and susceptible barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genotypes in response to terminal drought stress. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 35 (7): 2289-2297.
• Maryam-Sadat Shobbar, Omid Azhari, Zahra-Sadat Shobbar*, Vahid Niknam, Hossein Askari, Mohammad Pessarakli, and Hasan Ebrahimzadeh (2012) Comparative analysis of some physiological responses of rice seedlings to cold, salt and drought stresses. Journal of Plant Nutrition. 35:1037-1052.
• Muthurajan R, Shobbar ZS, Jagadish SV, Bruskiewich R, Ismail A, Leung H, Bennett J. (2011) Physiological and proteomic responses of rice peduncles to drought stress. Molecular Biotechnology. 48:173–182.
• Zahra-Sadat Shobbar, Rowena Oane, Rico Gamuyao, Justina de Palma, Mohammad Ali Malboobi, Ghasem Karimzadeh, Mokhtar Jalali Javaran, John Bennett* (2008) Abscisic acid regulates gene expression in cortical fiber cells and silica cells of rice shoots. New phytologist 178 (1): 68-79.

The first rank among 2007 Ph.D. graduates of Molecular genetics and genetic engineering with the best thesis (the mark of 20/20), Department of Plant breeding, Faculty of  Agriculture, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran.

The second biotechnology award for the research project entitled Sequence and gene expression analysis of psr9, A phosphate starvation responsive gene, 2001, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran.

The first rank among 1999 M.Sc. graduates of Genetics with the best thesis (the mark of 20/20), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran.

The first rank among 1997 B.Sc. graduates of Biology-Plant Science, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.