Hala Muhtasib research interests are in studying the role of natural products in cancer prevention and therapy. Her research focuses on cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy, in particular, study of plant-derived compounds. She has explored novel drugs that inhibit the mechanisms involved in colon cancer such as naturally occurring plant tannins, vitamin E, and essential oils of the Lebanese sage plant, thymoquinone extract from black seed and extracts from Lebanese indigenous plants, all of which are ingested regularly by humans and thus may hold promise as anticancer agents. Her efforts have been directed towards understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of various anticancer agents using cellular biology techniques as well as an emerging array of molecular technologies.

She has numerous publications on mechanisms of action of anticancer drugs. She is the recipient of three research achievement awards, Suad Al-Sabbah, Abdul Hameed Shoman Prize for Young Arab Researchers, and ISESCO Science Prize for contributions in Biology. She was awarded the Farouk Jabr Grant for outstanding scientific research, and a 1 Million USD grant from the Qatar National Research Foundation. She received funding from the National German Foundation (DFG), Swedish Research Council (Sweden), and Medical Practice Plan (AUB) to advance the field of natural product drug discovery and drug delivery. She has mentored more than 30 Master’s students at AUB and guided many into doctoral studies and successful careers.