Meet the Volume Editors

Monique Mancuso is a biologist with an MSc in Biological Sciences (1999) and a Ph.D. in Marine Environmental Health, Fish Pathology and Quality (2006), both from the University of Messina, Italy. She is also a specialist in applied microbiology. She has been a researcher at the Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology of the National Research Council (IRBIM-CNR) of Messina since 2013. Dr. Mancuso is a member of the editorial board of several

scientific journals. Her research interests include bacterial diseases in wild and farmed marine organisms, synthetic antibacterial effects, antibacterial effects of natural essential oils, and the evaluation and characterization of microplastics in seawater and marine organisms.

Teresa Bottari obtained a DVM and Ph.D. from the University of Messina, Italy. Since 2008, she has been a researcher at the Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology of the National Research Council (IRBIM-CNR) of Messina. Dr. Bottari participates in several projects, including MEDITS (evaluation of demersal resources in the Mediterranean Sea), CAMPBIOL (monitoring of commercial catches), and RITMARE (use of fish parasites as

biological tags for stock discrimination). Her research interests include the growth and reproduction of demersal and benthic resources, use of fish parasites as biological tags, and the impact of plastics on the marine environment (evaluation and characterization of plastics pollution levels in marine organisms).

Ahmed A. Abdelhafez, Ph.D., is a professor and head of the Department of Soils and Water Science, Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley University, Egypt. He is one of the leading scientists in the field of biochar in the Arab region. He worked as a researcher at the Department of Environmental Research, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt, for more than 10 years. Dr. Abdelhafez focuses mainly on agricultural production, environmental contamination control,

risk assessment, and biochar technology. He is a member of the National Committee of Soil Sciences and the Academy of Scientific Research & Technology, Egypt. He has published several research papers on environmental contamination, risk assessment, and potential remediation technologies. Dr. Abdelhafez is a member of the editorial board of several scientific journals and the chief editor of *Biochar and Compost Technology.*

Mohamed H.H. Abbas, Ph.D., is a Professor of Soil Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, Egypt. He began his academic career as a demonstrator at Zagazig University, Egypt, in 2000. He received his MA and Ph.D. from Benha University. He is a board member of the *Egyptian Journal of Soil Science.* His research focuses on the sorption/desorption of potentially toxic elements in soil, their environmental pathways, related risk assessment, and environmen-

tal contamination control. He also conducts research on biochar, land reclamation, and the chemistry of organic matter in soil and plant nutrition. Dr. Abbas is a reviewer for several national and international journals.
