I am currently an Associate Research Professional in the School for Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment (SSEBE) at Arizona State University, based on the Polytechnic campus. I work at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI), where I contribute to applied research in algal biotechnology and sustainable biomanufacturing.

With a background in Biotechnology and formal training in biochemical engineering, I specialize in bacterial metabolic and protein engineering, focusing on both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic bacterial systems. Currently, I am collaborating with HelioBioSys Inc. (CA, USA) on the development of bioprocesses for the production of bio-based sunscreen components derived from cyanobacteria. This work spans the entire value chain—from scale-up cultivation to downstream process optimization—at a pilot scale of over 1,000 liters. We are now progressing toward industrial-scale trials at volumes of 12,000–15,000 liters, with the goal of enabling continuous production and biomass harvesting.

Beyond research and teaching, I enjoy creative and outdoor pursuits including music (particularly singing), hiking, and wildlife photography.

Neda Bagheri earned her doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of California in Santa Barbara. Her focus on control theory and dynamics piqued her interest in biology. After completing a postdoc in Biological Engineering at MIT, she joined the Chemical & Biological Engineering faculty at Northwestern University where she founded the Modeling Dynamic Life Systems (MoDyLS) Lab. In 2019, she was recruited to both the University of Washington (where she holds a joint position in Biology and Chemical Engineering) and the Allen Institute for Cell Science. In recognition for her research accomplishments and vision, Bagheri was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2017), a Distinguished Investigator by the Washington Research Foundation (2019), and a Senior Moulton Medal (2020). She has also been honored as a keynote speaker for both national and international conferences. She serves on multiple scientific advisory and editorial boards, guiding the frontier of multidisciplinary research.

Dr. Erica Marie Hartmann is an environmental microbiologist interested in the interaction between anthropogenic chemicals and microorganisms, as well as bio-inspired mechanisms for
controlling microbial communities. Her career began at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She then moved to Arizona State University where she was the first graduate of the interdisciplinary Biological Design PhD program. She had two postdoctoral positions, the first, supported by a Fulbright, at the Commission for Atomic Energy in France. She began leading studies on antimicrobial chemicals and microbes found in indoor dust during her second postdoc at the Biology and the Built Environment Center at the University of Oregon. She is currently an associate professor at Northwestern University in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with affiliations in Pulmonary Medicine and the Center for Synthetic Biology. She was awarded an NSF CAREER to support her work on antimicrobial textiles and is leading an investigation of the respiratory tract microbiome in the NIH-funded Successful Clinical Response In Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT) Systems Biology Center. She is further designing new antimicrobial strategies based on bacteriophages.