Fereshteh Emami | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Fereshteh Emami | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Associate Professor Southeastern Louisiana University United States

Dr. Fereshteh Emami is a tenured Associate Professor at Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU), where she serves in the Departments of Chemistry & Physics and Integrated Science and Technology. As the Director of both the Analytical-Environmental Chemistry Laboratory and the Chemometrics and Biomathematics Laboratory, she leads innovative research in AI-driven bioanalytical challenges and the development of VR environments for STEM education.

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Education 📚📜

Dr. Emami earned her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Bu-Ali Sina University in 2013, following her M.Sc. in the same field in 2007. She completed her B.Sc. in Chemistry at Razi University in 2005, establishing a strong foundation in analytical and computational chemistry.

Professional Experience 🏢💼

Her career includes tenure-track roles at SLU, Chief Data Scientist at Digital Factory, Inc., and research positions at Clarkson University and Bowling Green State University. She has applied advanced mathematical techniques to air quality data and explored innovative bioanalytical methods using AI and machine learning.

Research Interests 🔍💡

Dr. Emami’s research spans environmental chemistry, bioanalytical chemistry, biomedical engineering, and data science. She focuses on pollutant degradation in water, AI-driven biosensors, VR-assisted molecular studies, and predictive modeling for environmental and biomedical data analysis.

Awards and Grants 🏆💰

Dr. Emami has been awarded substantial grants, including the Air Products-funded “Chemical Monitoring of Lake Maurepas” project phases, totaling over $12 million. Her contributions to research in AI-driven sensing and environmental monitoring reflect her dedication to scientific advancement.

Publications Top Notes:📖🔗

Gunawardhana, T., et al. “Spatial pattern assessment and prediction of water quality changes in Lake Maurepas.” Environments, 11(12), 2024. View Article

Rahman, M.A., et al. “Chemical variations in Lake Maurepas: vertical distribution and source identification.” Environmental Science & Technology, Submitted, 2024.

Rahman, M.A., et al. “Assessment of the vertical distribution of contaminants in Lake Maurepas,” Louisiana Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, 2024.

Gunawardhana, T., et al. “Examining heavy metals in Lake Maurepas,” Louisiana Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, 2024.

SONIA GOMES | Environmental Science | Women Researcher Award

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Dr. SONIA GOMES | Environmental Science | Women Researcher Award

Academician/Research Scholar Investigadora
👩‍🔬 Sónia Gomes is an accomplished molecular biologist specializing in genetic studies, particularly in agricultural biotechnology and molecular genetics. She is currently an Auxiliary Researcher at the University of Porto, focusing on interdisciplinary marine and environmental research. With extensive teaching experience and leadership in significant research projects, Sónia has contributed notably to genomic studies in olive trees and food biotechnology.

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Orcid.org

Education

🎓 PhD in Molecular Genetics (2006-2010): Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal. Thesis: “Genomic Studies in Olea europaea L.: From the Field to the Olive Oil End Product”.
🎓 MSc in Molecular Genetics (2003-2006): Universidade do Minho, Portugal. Dissertation: “Molecular markers for Olea europaea L. cultivars identification”.
🎓 BSc in Applied Biology (1997-2002): Universidade do Minho, Portugal. Thesis: “Effect of growth regulators in plant regeneration of Vitis vinifera L.”.

Experience

💼 Auxiliary Researcher (2023-Present), University of Porto, CIIMAR
💼 Invited Assistant Professor (2022-Present), ICBAS, University of Porto
💼 Research Fellow (2003-2007), OLIV-TRACK project, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

Research Interests

🔬 Molecular Genetics: Expertise in genomic studies of Olea europaea (olive trees) for improving food traceability.
🌊 Marine Biotechnology: Investigating the impact of microplastics and parasites on fish, seafood safety, and environmental sustainability.
🧬 Agricultural Biotechnology: Focused on using DNA markers for plant and food traceability.

Awards

🏆 Blue Bio Value Ideation Award (2023): Oceano Azul Foundation
🏆 NEWFOOD Valorization Award (2021): Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
🏆 OENOPPIA Award (2019): International Research on Wine Development

Publications Top Notes:

📚 Olive oil traceability through DNA markers (2012). Co-author: Martins-Lopes, P. Published in Book.
📖 Nucleic Acids Sample Preparation for Food Traceability (2016). Published in Sample Preparation Techniques for Soil, Plant, and Animal Samples. Springer New York, 2016.
🧬 Olive Tree Genetic Resources Characterization Through Molecular Markers (2012). Published in Genetic Diversity. DOI: 10.5772/32973.
🍃 Olive-Colletotrichum acutatum: An Example of Fruit-Fungal Interaction (2012). Published in Plant Breeding. DOI: 10.5772/27965.
🧫 Occurrence of microplastics in water, feed, and tissues of European seabass (2024). Published in Environmental Research DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120208.