Magdy M. Mahfouz
Professor, Bioengineering
Associate Dean, Faculty, Biomedical Sciences
Engineering biology is about turning possibility into practice. My lab builds programmable biomolecular systems that make gene editing more precise, diagnostics more accessible, and biomanufacturing more scalable—so discoveries move beyond papers and become tools that improve lives.
Program Affiliations
Center of Excellence
Biography
Professor Magdy Mahfouz is a professor of bioengineering, bioscience, and plant science at KAUST. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine.
Professor Mahfouz is the principal investigator of the Laboratory for Genome Engineering and Synthetic Biology. His research group focuses on developing programmable biomolecular systems for gene editing, biomanufacturing, and molecular diagnostics.
He has authored and co-authored more than 130 publications and has seven issued or pending patent applications. He has delivered invited talks and lectures at leading genome engineering and synthetic biology conferences.
Research Interests
Bioengineering is a multidisciplinary field that thrives on the cross-fertilization of ideas across biology, molecular biology, computational biology, engineering, and chemistry. By integrating these disciplines, bioengineering transforms fundamental discoveries into robust technologies and products that address major challenges facing humanity.
Professor Mahfouz’s laboratory harnesses nature to discover, design, and engineer next-generation genome-editing systems and programmable biomolecular platforms. The group develops compact and efficient gene editors and delivery-aware editing strategies for therapeutic applications, while also building molecular diagnostic tools that prioritize sensitivity, specificity, and operational simplicity for real-world deployment.
In parallel, the lab advances plant-based biomanufacturing by using plants as scalable, cost-effective bioproduction chassis for high-value molecules, including therapeutics and other biopharmaceuticals. Across these efforts, the laboratory combines molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, synthetic biology, and translational development to move from concept to validated platforms and enabling technologies.
The lab’s motto, “Bioengineering for the future,” reflects its commitment to converting innovation into practical solutions with measurable, real-world impact.
Education Profile
Ph.D. Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio, USA 2004
M.S. Microbial Genetics, Cairo University, Cairo Egypt, 1997