Prof. Radwan Barakat

Professor Radwan Barakat, a plant pathologist by training obtained his PhD from Washington State University in 1992 from the Dept. of Plant Pathology in Pullman, WA. He then returned home to contribute actively in the development of the College of Agriculture at Hebron University. Prof. Barakat took over several administrative positions including the Dean of Agriculture in 1994, Dean of Graduate Studies & Academic Research in 2001, and Head of the Quality Assurance Unit in 2007, and Dean of Graduate School & Academic Research again in 2009.  He established an active plant pathology research group which produced corner stone publications in several fields of plant pathology in peer reviewed internationally known journals and, book chapters. His research focus on non-chemical plant disease control strategies including biological control, the use of solar energy and other environment-friendly methodologies against major economic plant pests and diseases in Palestinian agriculture.  Major research grants obtained were in the fields of phytohormones and its role in plant disease control, biological control using the fungus Trichoderma, enhancement of soil suppressiveness to soilborne diseases, and the integration of native entomopathogenic fungi in the control of major economic insect pests.  Prof. Barakat is a member of several national and international professional councils and committees including the Biosafety National Committee, National Council of Scientific Research, National Council of the Quality Improvement Fund of the World Bank, was the President of the Palestinian European Academic Cooperation in Education Program (PEACE Program) which hosts in its membership more than 50 European and all Palestinian Universities located in the UNESCO headquarter in Paris. Prof. Barakat in the time being  is spending a one year research Sabbatical at the University of California in Davis, CA.