Hafida Merzouk

Merzouk was born in Tlemcen, Algeria. She graduated from the University of Tlemcen with a DES (Diplôme d’Études Supérieures) in biology and a master's in animal biology. In 1992, she joined the Institute of Biology at the University of Tlemcen as a teaching assistant, delivering courses in biochemistry and physiology.^[2]

She conducted her doctoral research on a scholarship at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France, focusing on maternal nutrition, macrosomia, and fetal growth retardation. She earned her PhD in nutritional biochemistry.^[3]

Merzouk was promoted to the rank of professor in 2004. She led a postgraduate program in physiology and cellular pathophysiology. She supervised multiple master's and doctoral theses on cell dysfunction related to obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.^[3][2]

She holds an administrative role at the University of Tlemcen. On 13 April 2011 she was nominated to the role of director of the PPABIONUT (Physiopathologie et Prévention par l’Alimentation et les Bioactifs Nutritionnels) Laboratory, managing projects on preventive nutrition and bioactive molecules in collaboration with French institutions in Dijon, Évry, and Strasbourg.

Her recent work includes studies on chronic low-dose pesticide effects on health and the benefits of algae consumption, with international partners.^[4]

Merzouk is involved in public outreach through SANMO, promoting maternal and child nutrition education and preventive health measures. She has authored several international publications, with research cited more than 1,500 times, primarily on lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and nutritional interventions in metabolic disorders. She regularly presents at conferences like those of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).^[5][6]