Saad joined the Cai lab as a post-doctoral research associate in September 2025. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in cell biology and went on to pursue his PhD in Professor Eiji Nambara’s Lab also at the University of Toronto. His PhD project focused on determining how calcium signalling through selective ion channels influences genetic and molecular responses to high humidity in Arabidopsis thaliana. He also worked on the mechanistic underpinning of morphological changes in Arabidopsis after exposure to different abiotic stresses. When not in the lab, Saad can be found toiling away in his wood workshop and searching for the perfect cup of coffee with his wife.