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Words of wisdom/advice for new faculty: “Try to engage minorities in cutting-edge environmental research.”
Career mentors: Dr. Joel Burken, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Dr. Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University
Education: BSc., Civil Engineering (construction), Technical and Vocational University, Kermanshah, Iran; Msc., Civil and Environmental Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; PhD, Civil Engineering (environmental focus), Missouri University of Science and Technology
Age: 36
Tenured: No
Title: Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Technology, Savannah State University
As Dr. Majid Bagheri teaches undergraduate students at Savannah State University, an historically Black university in Georgia, he engages them in subjects connected to the environment and how they can make an impact on the world around them.
He was a first-generation college student as many of them are, and as an undergraduate he explored both environmental science and environmental engineering. The ability that environmental engineering provides to address problems totally captivated him.
“Environmental engineering caught my attention because of its direct impact on the health of our planet and its people,” says Bagheri. “I was inspired by the opportunity to address real world problems like water treatment, waste management and sustainable development through a combination of innovative technologies and practical solutions.”
He had the opportunity to visit wastewater treatment plants and construction sites for wastewater treatment plants, and he learned about the impact of pollutants in the environment.
While working on his master’s degree in his home country of Iran, he realized that to become involved in cutting-edge research, he needed to study at a top research university. Bagheri also wanted to engage with researchers on a global basis, and a U.S. institution provided that opportunity. At Missouri University of Science and Technology, he was able to work on phytoremediation—using plants to remove contaminants from soil and water—and the application of novel technologies for environmental remediation.
“Dr. Majid Bagheri has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a strong commitment to research, education and student development at Savannah State University,” says Dr. Asad Yousuf, professor and chair of engineering technology at Savannah State. “He is currently the principal investigator on three significant federal grants, showcasing his ability to secure substantial funding and foster impactful research initiatives.”
The first of Bagheri’s projects attempts to advance the fundamental knowledge of plant uptake and translocation of emerging contaminants.
“Uptake of environmental contaminants by plant roots and their subsequent translocation to the edible parts has serious implications to food security,” says Bagheri. “Novel simulation and modeling techniques such as artificial intelligence and machine learning will be used to shed light on the uptake and translocation of emerging contaminants.”
The second project is to develop a real-time monitoring system for soil and groundwater contamination using artificial intelligence (AI) powered innovations, namely tiny machine learning systems.
“These novel systems offer a number of benefits in the monitoring of problems over traditional approaches,” he explains. “TinyML is a fast-growing technology, which utilizes hardware, software and algorithms to perform on-device sensor data analytics at extremely low power. One of the main benefits of the TinyML systems is to monitor contaminants in the soil and groundwater autonomously without the need of operators.”
The third project, funded by the National Science Foundation, establishes an AI research center at Savannah State University to actively engage undergraduate minority students in cutting-edge research. The center focuses on novel monitoring systems using AI and machine learning to address environmental problems such as air, water and soil pollution.
“Through data driven insights, we are also improving real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, reducing costs and enhancing the reliability of wastewater treatment solutions with the aid of AI and machine learning models,” Bagheri says. “As an example, the artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are used to optimize the operating parameters of wastewater treatment plants that reduce the costs of wastewater treatment.”
Bagheri is inspired by teaching students underrepresented in STEM fields. The creativity and diverse perspectives in the classroom enrich the learning experience for everyone. He takes pride in seeing students embrace the subjects with some going onto graduate programs.
“I am motivated to create an inclusive and supportive environment where these minority students can thrive academically and professionally,” says Bagheri. “They have shown me that students from underserved communities can break barriers and become leaders in their fields. Being part of their journey toward achieving their goals and making meaningful contributions to their communities is deeply rewarding.”