People

Dr. David C. Podgorski

Associate Professor

B.S. Gardner-Webb University

Ph.D. Florida State University

dcpodgor@uno.edu

David received his B.S. in Chemistry from Gardner-Webb University in 2007. His Ph.D. research was on the separation and selective ionization of under-characterized fractions of natural organic matter, advised by Dr. William T. Cooper at Florida State University. After defending in 2011, he completed an 18-month postdoc with Dr. Alan G. Marshall at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. He then stayed on with Dr. Marshall as a Research Scientist for five more years under the mentorship of Dr. Robert G.M. Spencer. David joined the University of New Orleans Department of Chemistry and Pontchartrain Institute of Environmental Sciences in 2017. He has an appointment as an Affiliate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Alaska Anchorage. David received an NSF CAREER award in 2024.

Dr. Jumanah Hamdi

Postdoctoral Research Associate

B.S. University of New Orleans

Ph.D. University of New Orleans

A Damascus native, Jumanah Hamdi forged her own path toward success, defying societal norms. While cultural expectations prevailed, she pursued education fervently. Her love of chemistry led her to a science career, where she strived to make a difference. After earning her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New Orleans (Louisiana, USA), specializing in organic chemistry and catalysis, Jumanah discovered her true passion for green chemistry. Driven by a desire to protect the environment, Jumanah embarked on a postdoctoral journey as an environmental scientist at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON). There, she investigated marine carbon cycling processes in Fram Strait, focusing on Arctic ecosystems. The US National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded her a two-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, which made her a key contributor to the polar research community. A new chapter in Jumanah’s academic career has begun. She joined the University of New Orleans as a postdoctoral researcher under Professor David Podgorski’s mentorship. By leveraging her unique background and skillset, she can continue to push scientific discovery frontiers and create innovative solutions. She can also serve as a mentor and role model, inspiring the next generation of scientists to think critically and innovate. And by working together, we can create a more collaborative, rounded approach to saving our planet.

Dr. Maxwell Harsha

Graduate Student, Ph.D., Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) Graduate Research Fellow

B.S. Loyola University Chicago

Ph.D. University of New Orleans

Maxwell is originally from Northwest Indiana. After receiving his B.S. in Biochemistry from Loyola University Chicago, he worked in industry at an analytical food testing company. Maxwell gained research experience in the area of synthetic organic chemistry while he was an undergraduate. After he gained some industrial analytical chemistry skills, he aspired to continue his education through a graduate program in chemistry. Maxwell came to the University of New Orleans in August 2020 to start his graduate education. He is currently working towards his Ph.D. in Environmental Analytical Chemistry. Maxwell is interested in understanding the complex relationships of the environment through the lens of analytical chemistry. He will begin a Clinical Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in the fall.  

Yuri Kurerov

Graduate Student, Ph.D., Eurofins Doctoral Research Fellow

B.S. Gardner-Webb University

Yuri is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia where he went completed nursing school at the Pavlov First State Medical University of St. Petersburg in 2015. That same year, he was accepted into the biology program at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. Yuri relocated to the United States to get his second undergraduate degree in biology with a chemistry minor. During his education at Gardner-Webb, he found his passion while working with analytical instrumentation. This passion led him to pursue a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry. In May 2019, Yuri started the doctorate program as a member of Dr. Podgorski’s research group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of New Orleans. His initial work focused on helping collaborators develop methods to quantify persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in environmental matrices. Yuri currently develops methods for banned substances such as hormones in foodstuffs at Eurofins Central Analytical Laboratory (ECAL) under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah King.

Virginia “Ginny” Merrill

Graduate Student, Ph.D.

B.S. Gardner-Webb University

Virginia is originally from Charleston, South Carolina. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Gardner-Webb University (GWU) in 2023, where she completed undergraduate research studying the photoprotective ability of sunscreens with analytical and microbiological model systems. During her undergraduate studies, she became passionate about cosmetic chemistry, environmental chemistry, and toxicology, with a special interest in endocrine disrupting chemicals. Virginia decided to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Analytical Chemistry at the University of New Orleans under the direction of Dr. David Podgorski.

Chadiska Pascal

Graduate Student, Ph.D.

B.S. Grambling State University.

Chadiska is a native of Dominica, an island affectionately known as the Nature Isle of the Caribbean. In 2021, She attained her bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry at Grambling State University (GSU). During her undergraduate studies at GSU, she became passionate about the notion of improving the lives of individuals through the development of pharmaceutical drugs. It is this passion that influenced her decision to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of New Orleans where she is currently an Environmental Analytical Chemistry Ph.D. student. 

Hanieh Ranijbar

Graduate Student, Ph.D.

B.S. Amirkabir University of Technology

Hanieh was born in Tehran, Iran. She received her bachelor’s degree in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Polytechnic of Tehran). During her bachelor’s, she synthesized polymers that can be applied in the human body, based on PEG-PCL and nanoparticles of CNW, MWCNT, and Graphene. The aim of her research work was to develop materials used for advanced technologies. The environment has always been her concern, so she decided to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Chemistry, and she started her program in the Fall of 2022 at the University of New Orleans under the supervision of Dr. David Podgorski. She is currently working on water contamination.

Eduardo E. Turcios Valle

Graduate Student, Ph.D., Charles and Sally O’Connor Graduate Chemistry Fellow

B.A. Augustana University

Born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Eduardo ventured to the Great Plains of the United States in 2015 to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry and Psychology at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. During his time there, he further honed his skills by working as a biomedical research intern and as a laboratory assistant in the blood bank, histology department, and morgue of a leading healthcare company in the Midwest.

In 2022, driven by his passion for the environment, Eduardo embarked on a journey to obtain his Ph.D. in Environmental Analytical Chemistry. His research focuses on understanding photochemically and microbially attenuated petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in natural water sources.

Alumni (Current Information)

Jonathan Long, M.Sc.(Eurofins); Morris Bonton III, M.S. (Eurofins Central Analytical Laboratory); Rana Ghannam, Undergraduate Tolmas Scholar, M.S.; Katherine Humpal, Undergraduate Tolmas Scholar (Ph.D. Program, UNO) Matthew Shields, Undergraduate Tolmas Scholar (M.D.); Terrell Shields, Undergraduate Tolmas Scholar (Eurofins Central Analytical Laboratory); Minh-Ahn Tran, Undergraduate (U.S. Department of Agriculture), C. Nacaya Brown (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Visiting International Scientists

Solène Gervais, École nationale supérieure d’ingénieurs de Caen & Centre de Recherche (National Graduate School of Engineering & Research Center)Lise Chapolon, Instituts universitaires de technologie – Université de Lyon1 (University Institutes of Technology – University of Lyon 1)