Ιrini Tsiodra is a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in experimental atmospheric chemistry, particularly in the measurement, analysis, and exposure assessment of highly toxic organic pollutants. She earned her B.Sc. in Chemistry in 2015, followed by an M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering in 2017, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry in 2023, all from the University of Crete's Department of Chemistry. Her doctoral research focused on the variability, sources, and health effects of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their atmospheric derivatives, emphasizing the increased emissions from residential biomass burning linked to the economic recession. With over a decade of experience in analytical research and development, Irini specializes in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). She has been affiliated with the Environmental and Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL) since 2014, and was a member of the Center of Studies on Air Quality and Climate Change (C-STACC) at FORTH/ICE-HT from 2017 to 2023. In 2023, she joined the Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA-IERSD) as a research fellow.

Through the Fulbright Scholarship Program for Visiting Scholars, Irini will have the opportunity to develop her prospects at the early stages of her career. The Fulbright scholarship will support her in continuing research in the highly motivating environment of Rutgers University under the supervision of Prof. Philip Demokritou. She will strengthen her expertise in analytical method development, transferring and testing her experience in environmental organic chemistry. Furthermore, she will polish her abilities in new techniques related to Micro-nano plastic pollution, and she will acquire scientific independence and the capacity to manage a research project.