Professor Ayoub A. M. Khalil, born 1961, is the professor of ecophysiology (tree physiology) at the Department of Forestry, College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Bahri. He obtained his basic degree from the University of Khartoum in 1985 and later obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in 1993.
Professor Khalil, established a highly equipped ecophysiology laboratory in 1994 and initiated a research group whose members have extensively worked, under his guidance and supervision, on a wide spectrum of research topics that cover water relations of trees, tree crop interactions in agro-forestry systems, provenance trails for selection of suitable trees for arid zone afforestation and vegetative propagation. Several students took their graduate degrees under the supervision of Professor Khalil who also published many research articles in reputable journals. His establishment of the group and his careful guidance of its high-quality research in ecophysiology earned him a promotion to the status of professor in 2004.
Since he finished his basic university education in 1985, Professor Khalil served in many junior research and academic posts in the Forest National Corporation, Agricultural Research Corporation and University of Juba. His senior offices include Deputy-Deanship of Graduate College at the University of Juba, Deanship of the College of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. He also worked as the Secretary for Academic Affairs. In 2006 he was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Juba a post he occupied until he was appointed in 2011 as the Vice-Chancellor of the newly-formed University of Bahri which was established to replace four universities that moved to South Sudan following political developments that led to its advent as a separate sovereign state.
Professor Khalil has a record of active participation in a number of workshops and functions conducted by public institutions. He produced a number of articles and reports in these occasions. He is also a member of various committees and councils with duties ranging from research activities to consultative, administrative and policy-making roles.