Postdoctoral Researchers
JingJing Wang, PhD
Dr. Jingjing Wang is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Mohammed Baalousha’s group at the CENR. She earned her Ph.D in Applied Chemistry from Colorado School of Mines, Dr. James Ranville’s group, Golden, CO. During her Ph.D, she gained expertise in nano-analytics, in particular field flow fractionation and single particle-inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, which were applied to her research to understand the environmental behaviors of manufactured carbon (biochar and carbon nanotubes). Dr. Wang’s current research focuses on monitoring engineered nanoparticles in surface waters.
Graduate Students
Jeonghyeon Ahn
Jeonghyeon Ahn is a PhD student at the CENR and started her research under the supervision of Dr. Eric Vejerano in January 2018. She earned her master's degree in Environmental Engineering at Hanyang University, Korea. Her current research interest is assessing the contribution of environmentally persistent free radicals from the formation of the secondary aerosol.
Amjed Alabresm
Amjed Alabresm is a PhD student at CENR. My project is related to the assessment of toxicity of NPs used in environmental remediation of oil. Toxicity to bacteria and daphnia will be assessed, including effects on gene expression. This project is supervised by Professor Lead. He previously worked at the Marine Science Centre, University of Basra, Iraq as a researcher for seven years. He received his masters degree in Microbiology at University of Baghdad, Iraq in 1999.
Badria Almurshidi
Badria Almurshidi is a PhD student at the CENR, working under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Baalousha and Dr. Saurabh Chatterjee. She earned her Master’s degree in Environmental and Molecular Toxicology from Oregon State University and a BSc in Biological Sciences from UAE University. Her research interests focus on the field on Nanotoxicology.
Hana Alhmeed
Hanaa Alhameed is a CENR, PhD Candidate studying under Dr. Mohammed Baalousha and Dr. Geffrey Scott, since August 2015. She earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Basra University. She received a M.Sc. in ecology pollution in 2005. Her project concentration is the fate of manufactured nanomaterials in the aquatic environment and toxicity of nanomaterials on aquatic species, including studying aggregation of nanomaterials.
Amar Yasser Al-Rshim
Amar Yasser Al-Rshim is a PhD student at the CENR under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Baalousha. Amar earned a Master’s of Food Science and Biotechnology at the University of Basra (Iraq). Previously, Amar worked as researcher in the Marine Vertebrate Department at the Marine Science Center. His current research interest is in the biosynthesis of engineered nanoparticles and their application as antimicrobial agent together with understanding their environmental health and safety.
Beth Bair
Beth Bair is a part-time PhD student in the CENR under the advisement of Dr. Jamie Lead. She started her research in the fall of 2017. She earned a Master’s degree in Aqueous Geochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Bachelor’s degrees in Geology and Chemistry at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Beth’s research is focused on quantifying nanoparticle (NP) and core shell particle transformations when exposed to living cells using single-particle and single-cell Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SP/SC-ICP/MS).
Gabriel Kenne
Gabriel Kenne is a PhD Candidate at CENR as of August 2016 studying under Dr. Robin “Buz” Kloot and Dr. Anindya Chanda. He earned a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he focused on molecular genetics, followed by an M.P.H. in Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis from Kansas State University. His early PhD research on fungal molecular biology and toxicology is being applied to a new focus on soil microbiology and soil health. His current research is to better understand what defines a healthy soil and how to promote healthy soils and crops naturally rather than through the use of agricultural chemicals. He is examining the soil microbiome and crop health under various controlled field conditions (such as cover crops, tillage practices, and the use of irrigation water hyperoxygenated with nanobubbles) to determine the best ways to optimize food production to feed a growing global population while decreasing dependencies on synthetic chemicals.
Shibani Kulkarni
Shibani Kulkarni is a PhD candidate in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. She earned her MPH in Global Health from Emory University. Her current graduate assistantship is with Dr. Daniela Friedman and Dr. Jamie Lead, focused on an NIEHS-funded qualitative study to examine strategies for the communication of environmental risks associated with breast cancer among African-American communities in South Carolina.
Kaleea Lewis
Kaleea Lewis is a doctoral candidate in the Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior department. Her academic advisor is Dr. Emily S. Mann. She earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Converse College and a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of South Carolina – Arnold School of Public Health (Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior). Ms. Lewis’ current research interests include racial health inequities, racial justice/equity, and the health ramifications of internalized and institutionalized racism as it relates to the mental health of millennial African Americans. Her current research with Dr. Daniela Friedman and Dr. Jamie Lead is a qualitative study of communication of environmental risks associated with breast cancer among African-American communities in South Carolina.
Samantha McNeal
Samantha McNeal is a PhD student at the CENR under the advisement of Dr. Jamie Lead and started her research in June 2015. She earned her Master’s degree in Public Health from Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University and her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Norfolk State University. Her research interests include but are certainly not limited to nanoparticles leached from consumer products, water quality, occupational health, and global health. Her current project is investigating the transport and transformation of nanoparticles in the environment and biological media and their impact on health.
Madeleine Meyer
Madeleine Meyer is a PhD student at the CENR working under the supervision of Dr. Mohammed Baalousha. Madeleine earned a B.S. degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), where she spent all four years of her undergraduate studies working with Dr. Robert Hamers and the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. After graduating from UW-Madison, Madeleine spent a year working as a Criminalist I with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Forensic Science, Implied Consent Department. Currently, Madeleine splits her time between managing the UofSC School of Public Health's Meiobenthic Ecology and Estuarine Ecotoxicology Laboratory and the CENR. Madeleine's current research focuses on synthesis of engineered nanoparticles as well as investigating the effect of sediment on engineered nanoparticle uptake and elimination by benthic organisms.
Mohammed Othman
Mohammed Othman is a PhD student at the CENR, which he joined on October 2016 and is supervised by Dr Jamie Lead. He earned his Master's degree in Global Environmental Health Sciences from the School of Public Health at Tulane University, New Orleans. His current research interest is in the biodistribution of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNP) in the body using animal models and investigating the uptake processes and response of microbiome to the AgNP.
Paul Vecchiarelli
Paul Vecchiarelli is a PhD candidate in ENHS under the advisement of Dr Jamie Lead. He joined the CENR in Spring 2019, previously earning a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. His research interests include resource life cycle assessment, waste management, and regenerative environmental technologies. The focus of his current research is the commercialization of nanoremediation technologies developed at the CENR. After graduating he plans to continue developing and adapting these nanotechnologies for a variety of applications.