Biography
Dr Tawfike is a metabolomics researcher and analytical chemist with extensive experience in mass spectrometry and NMR-based analysis of natural products, plant metabolites, and environmental samples. He earned his PhD in Metabolomics from the University of Strathclyde and has held roles across both academia and industry, including Rothamsted Research and Owlstone Medical.
Ahmed’s work sits at the intersection of analytical chemistry, metabolomics, and crop science. He has published over 25 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals and has contributed to numerous UK and international collaborations.
At the James Hutton Institute, Ahmed serves as Lead Analytical Chemist, managing the LC-MS suite within the PBFQ group. He plays a critical role in the strategic development of metabolomics capability and supports interdisciplinary projects involving natural product discovery, crop stress response, and nutritional trait analysis. He is actively involved in flagship programmes such as the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), helping to advance protein-rich crop analysis and functional metabolomics. Ahmed also co-leads initiatives such as the NWB and ISPF UK–KSA collaborations and is committed to mentoring early-career researchers in the field of metabolomics.
Research
Ahmed’s current research focuses on applying mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to support crop improvement, stress resilience, and the discovery of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. He leads the technical management of the LC-MS facilities within the PBFQ group and helps integrate metabolomics into wider research strategies.
Current activities include:
ISPF UK–KSA partnership: Investigating the metabolomic basis of legume resilience and nutritional traits under controlled vertical farming conditions.
NWB PhD Studentship: Exploring metabolic shifts in underutilised crops such as Brassicas and Saffron exposed to different environmental conditions to improve bioactive yield and quality.
NAPIC (National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre): Supporting protein-rich crop profiling and the identification of nutritional and functional metabolites to support alternative protein innovation.
Biomarker and bioactive discovery: Supporting targeted and untargeted metabolomics workflows to identify biomarkers associated with abiotic stress and high-value plant-derived compounds for health-promoting applications.
His research plays a key role in linking chemical profiling to plant biology, with implications for food security, sustainable agriculture, and natural product innovation.
Past research
Dr Tawfike has a strong background in analytical chemistry and metabolomics applied to natural product discovery, environmental toxicology, and disease biomarker research. During his doctoral training at the University of Strathclyde, he used NMR and LC-MS-based metabolomics to investigate marine natural products and explore their potential as bioactive agents. His work focused on dereplication, structure elucidation, and metabolite profiling to guide natural product isolation and screening.
Following his PhD, Ahmed joined Owlstone Medical as an Analytical Chemist, contributing to the development of breath-based diagnostic tools and analytical methods for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in human health.
At Rothamsted Research, he focused on plant–pathogen interactions and agricultural resilience, using GC-MS and LC-MS metabolomics to understand metabolic responses in crops such as Wheat and Willow under biotic and abiotic stress. His work supported the development of disease-resistant lines and optimized agronomic traits for improved crop yield and health.
Ahmed has also been involved in method development for targeted and untargeted workflows, quality control implementation, and capacity building for metabolomics infrastructure in both academic and industrial settings.
