Emerging Contaminants: Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment

Author Biography

Dr. Arpna Kumari is working as a Senior Researcher in the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, Southern Federal University, Russia. She possesses 7 years of research experience in the field of Plant Physiology with special emphasis on various abiotic stressors (i.e., drought, salinity, heat, heavy metals, organic contaminants, etc.); stress mitigation strategies; roles of nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture and contaminated soil restorations; cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of emerging pollutants. She has earned her doctoral degree in Life Sciences with specialization in Botany from Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab, India. She has presented her research work in various national and international institutions like the National University of Singapore, National Botanical Research Institute, Panjab University, IIT-Delhi, etc. Dr. Vishnu D. Rajput is a Researcher in the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, Southern Federal University, Russia. He has 12 years of research experiences in the field of environmental pollution especially on PAHs, priority heavy metals and metallic nanoparticles, and their impacts on plant performance, soil microbial functionalities and plant-microbe-interactions. He earned his doctorate degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. He has published 49 peer reviewed research articles, 1 book and 8 book chapters. Dr. Rajput recently received “Highly Qualified Specialist” Status by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and Southern Federal University, Russia. Dr. Saglara S. Mandzhieva is a Researcher and Head of the “Monitoring of Biosphere” Laboratory of Southern Federal University, Russia. She earned her PhD in Soil Science and is currently researching biogeochemistry of trace elements in soil, environmental soil chemistry, and remediation using physicochemical treatment methods. She has published 354 scientific publications and is a member of the Eurasian Soil Science Societies and the Russian Society of Soil Science. Dr Mandzhieva is a member of various international peer-reviewed journals, including editorial board member of “Minerals. Dr. Tatiana Minkina is the Head of Soil Science and Land Evaluation Department of Southern Federal University, Russia. Her areas of scientific interest are soil science, biogeochemistry of trace elements, environmental soil chemistry and soil monitoring. In 2015, she was awarded a Diploma of the Ministry of Education and Science for many years of long-term work for the development and improvement of the educational process and significant contribution to the training of highly qualified specialists. She is a member of the International Committee on Contamination Land; Eurasian Soil Science Societies; the International Committee on Protection of the Environment; and the International Scientific Committee of the International Conferences on Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements. She has 389 scientific publications published in English and is the editor of an Open Access Journal by MDPI “Water.” Prof. Eric D. van Hullebusch is currently working as a full professor in biogeochemistry of engineered ecosystems at the Université Paris Cité and Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (Paris, France). He has published more than 280 papers in scientific journals with peer review, has coedited 10 books, and is coauthor of more than 25 book chapters. His research activities are mainly focused on the three following topics: study of metals and metalloids biogeochemistry in engineered ecosystems (e.g. bioreactors) mainly dedicated to wastewater treatment for pollution control and resource recovery; investigation of the role of living organisms on the weathering of materials and minerals (concrete materials, natural and industrial glasses, metal sulfides, end of life products, WEEE and wastes such as metallurgical wastes for resource recovery, and so on); and remediation of soils contaminated by organic contaminants (bioremediation, enhanced soil physicochemical treatments, and so on).