Assistant Professor Patrick Ymele-Leki Mentors Postdoctoral Researcher and 2018 Research Week Winner

Chemical engineering postdoctoral researcher Jyothirmai Simhadri was announced as the Post Doc/Resident/Fellow/Research Associate winner in the Physical Sciences and Engineering category for her research submission "Development of Shewanella Oneidensis MR-1 Biofilms for Iodate Reduction in Groundwater".

Dr. Jyothirmai Simhadri received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in the Biofilm Engineering and Drug Discovery lab under the supervision of Dr. Ymele-Leki. Dr. Ymele-Leki's mentorship of Dr. Simhadri has involved introducing her to innovative scientific techniques and literature, as well as enhancing her professional development through encouragement in conference attendance and networking with experienced career advice.

Dr. Simhadri's project focuses on the development of protocols for the proliferation of Shewanella Oneidensis biofilms and the investigation of their potential activity in the reduction and speciation of iodate. These studies could lead to novel approaches and techniques for the bioremediation of radioiodine at contaminated sites.

Dr. Simhadri became familiar with the area of Environmental Microbiology and Biochemical/Environmental Engineering under the mentorship of Dr. Ymele-Leki, as her area of concentration is Nanomaterials and Computational Research.

Dr. Simhadri is grateful for Dr. Ymele-Leki's mentorship: "Dr. Patrick Ymele-Leki is very supportive of me by sharing his knowledge and also in providing the resources necessary to explore and conduct targeted experiments for successful accomplishments."