Shakeel Ahmed Talpur

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Postdoctoral Researcher - Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Ravenna, Italy March 2025 – Present - Project: ACTION - Increasing Coastal Ecosystem Resilience to Climate Change. In this role, I conduct comprehensive environmental research focusing on the Lamone River mouth in the Po Delta Regional Park. My primary responsibilities include collecting and analyzing hydrogeological data, performing geochemical characterizations of water, sediments, and soils, and monitoring surface and groundwater quality parameters. I identify climate change threats to local ecosystems and develop targeted mitigation strategies, with a particular emphasis on groundwater salinization and its impacts on agriculture and biodiversity.

• Doctoral Researcher - Università degli Studi 'Gabriele d'Annunzio' di Chieti, Italy February 2022 – February 2025 - Research Focus: Environmental Matrix Analysis of the Pescara River using TXRF. During my doctoral research, I developed optimized sample preparation methods for Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) analysis. My work involved quantitative assessments of heavy metals in water and sediment systems, identifying pollution sources through advanced multivariate statistical techniques. This research resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and presentations at international scientific conferences, contributing significant insights into environmental contamination mechanisms.

• Visiting Researcher - Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czechia September 2024 – January 2025 - Project: Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Freshwater Bivalves. As a visiting researcher, I investigated heavy metal contamination in freshwater bivalve ecosystems. My responsibilities included analyzing metal accumulation patterns, assessing ecological impacts, and contributing to scientific publications. The research focused on understanding the mechanisms of heavy metal transfer and its potential consequences for aquatic environments.

• Research Associate - Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan November 2020 – February 2022 - Project: MultiTex RCT - Multifaceted Intervention for Cotton Dust Exposure. I led the implementation of occupational health interventions in textile mills, managing a comprehensive research project involving 800 participants across multiple sites. My key responsibilities included designing intervention strategies, conducting training sessions for management and workers, and supervising extensive data collection and analysis. The project involved direct engagement with textile associations and labor departments to improve worker health and safety.

EDUCATION

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Earthquake and Environmental Hazards - Università degli Studi 'Gabriele d'Annunzio' di Chieti, Italy (2022 – 2025). Thesis: Quantifying Mobilization of Potentially Toxic Elements into Surface and Subsurface Water and Sediments along the Pescara River using Total X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TXRF).

• Master of Engineering in Environmental Science and Engineering - China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China (2017 – 2020). Thesis: Arsenic Removal from Groundwater using Iron Oxyhydroxide with the Effects of Calcium Carbonate.

• Master of Science in Environmental Sciences - Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan (2014 – 2016). Thesis: Physicochemical Analysis of Groundwater Quality at Morga Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Physics - University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan (2012 – 2014).