Professor KASSAM Daud
About Professor KASSAM Daud
Daud Kassam is a Professor in Fish Biotechnology and Biodiversity Conservation and also the Director (AquaFish). He did his undergraduate education at Chancellor College (University of Malawi), graduating in 1997 with a BSc. Ed. majoring in Biology. He left Malawi for Japan in October 1998, to do his postgraduate education (sponsored by the Japanese Government), at Kochi University, and obtained his MSc. in Aquaculture in 2001, then enrolled immediately for his PhD at the United Graduate School, Ehime University, Kochi Campus. He got a PhD in Fisheries Ecology in 2004, and due to his excellent publication record, he was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), which he did up to March 2006.
Soon after completing his postdoc, he returned to Malawi, and currently he is working at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) Bunda Campus in the Aquaculture and Fisheries Science Department, where he is lecturing in the following courses: Fish Genetics and Molecular Biology, Fish Biodiversity and Conservation, Fish Genetics and Biotechnology (to postgraduates), Fish Genetics, Fish Breeding and Reproduction (to undergraduates).
Apart from lecturing, Prof Kassam is involved in research on Fish Biotechnology, Fish Population Genetics, Biodiversity and Conservation, as well as Fish Breeding. His major breakthrough in research is the hybridization program he initiated, the first of its kind in Malawi, producing Oreochromis hybrids which are outperforming all locally available strains as well as the selectively-bred strain.
The hybridisation program exploits the different sex-determining systems of some of the cultured species in Malawi, leading to substantial positive heterosis with a promising increase in productivity once such hybrids are officially released as a technology to farmers. He has been one of the key implementers in the following 2 projects; Malawi Pilot Development Project: Accelerating agricultural technology transfer from China (2014-2016), and Fish Biodiversity Project (BioFisa; 2009-2012). He is now the Principal Investigator (PI) for The Aquaculture and Fisheries Science Africa Centre of Excellence project, funded by the World Bank (ACEII 2016-2023, ACEII-AF 2022-2025) and also PI for the project entitled Improving Community Health-Nutrition Linkages through Solar Energy Based Fish and Crop Integrated Value Chains (ICH LIEBE FISCH) funded by the German Government (2016-2020).