Tassew Mekuria

Tassew Mekuria earned both master's and PhD degrees from Morgan State University in 2009 and 2020, respectively. His master’s degree is in Biology with an emphasis on Environmental Biology, and his PhD is in Bioenvironmental Science. Mekuria’s notable research accomplishments are on the biodegradation of toxic and persistent chemicals from the soil and the application of nanotechnology, specifically cobalt ferrite nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes, to develop a nano-magnetic sensor for the detection of heavy metals in water sources. Mekuria was a member of the Seifu Research Group at Morgan State University that has several collaborations with federal laboratories such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the US Army Research Laboratory. Mekuria holds several years of teaching experience in biological science from high school to college levels in the state of Maryland. He also served as Crime Scene Investigator for several years in the Baltimore Police Crime Lab. Currently, Mekuria is working for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science on environmental policy issues in support of the Science and Technology Working Group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. Mekuria is also assisting the Office of the University System of Maryland Chancellor on environmental sustainability issues.