Shilpi Bhatia is a Ph.D. Candidate at NCATSU. Her research focus is on coronavirus epidemiology and transmission in salivary gland cells. The research spans environmental microbiology, virology, and molecular biology, utilising RT-qPCR, next-generation sequencing, and metagenomics to study viral dynamics and microbial community shifts. She is particularly interested in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a tool for public health surveillance, aiding in disease outbreak prediction and environmental monitoring.
Dr. Mehdi Lamssali earned a B.S. in Engineering and Management Science from Al Akhawayn University and a Ph.D. in Applied Science and Technology with a concentration in Environmental and Energy Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). He is currently a Water Quality Specialist at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ).His research focuses on wastewater-based epidemiology, environmental remediation, and advanced water and wastewater treatment technologies. His work has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, contributing to advancements in wastewater treatment, pollutant fate and reduction analysis, and sustainable treatment strategies. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF).Dr. Lamssali’s research interests include SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance, nutrient and organic pollutant reduction in wastewater, PFAS remediation, and the integration of environmental engineering in public health monitoring.
Liesl K. Jeffers-Francis received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009, after earning an M.S. in Biological Sciences in 2003 and a B.S. in Biology in 1999 from Barry University. She worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at UNC-Chapel Hill from 2010 to 2015. In 2016, she joined North Carolina A&T State University as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023. She also currently serves as the Graduate Coordinator for the MS Biology Program. Her research topics mainly include virology, wastewater surveillance, phage biology, antimicrobial resistance, oral virology, and microbial monitoring in built environments. Dr. Jeffers-Francis is passionate about interdisciplinary research that connects microbiology with public health outcomes and is committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists through experiential learning and data-driven inquiry.
