🍃
🌿
🍃
🌿
🍃
💧

Maedeh Yazdani Arani

Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Engineering

🌊 🌱 🌍
📧 maedeh@usf.edu
📍 Tampa, FL
💼 LinkedIn: maedehyazdani

Professional Objective

PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering specializing in water quality, data analytics, and risk modeling. Experienced in developing national-scale water quality databases, evaluating contaminants under the SDWA (EPA), and applying geospatial and statistical tools (R, ArcGIS Pro) to support regulatory and infrastructure decision-making. Skilled in translating complex environmental data into actionable insights for public health protection and policy improvement. Seeking opportunities in environmental consulting, data-driven infrastructure planning, and regulatory compliance.

Education

Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering
University of South Florida
2023 – Present | Tampa, FL
GPA: 3.61 / 4.0
M.Sc. in Environmental Education
University of Tehran
Sep 2017 - Jun 2019 | Tehran, Iran
GPA: 4.0 / 4.0 (19.39 / 20)
B.Sc. in Natural Resources Engineering (Environmental)
University of Environment
Sep 2012 - Jul 2016 | Karaj, Iran
GPA: 3.41 / 4.0 (16.90 / 20)

Research Experience

Graduate Research Assistant
USF Interdisciplinary Research Award (Dr. Alfredo)
Lead RA | 20 hours/week

Leading research on drinking water risk evaluation, community outreach, and public health as part of dissertation research.

Graduate Research Assistant
The JPB Environmental Health Grant (Dr. Alfredo)
10 hours/week

Evaluated regulatory actions related to PFAS and assisted with structuring large water quality database for contaminant risk analysis.

Graduate Research Assistant
NSF Grant #2142714
10 hours/week

Assisted with course materials related to community-based research.

Skills & Expertise

🔬 Analytical Skills

  • Water Quality Analysis
  • Contaminant Risk Modeling
  • Geospatial Analytics
  • Data Visualization
  • Regulatory Analysis

💻 Software Skills

  • R Programming
  • SPSS
  • LISREL
  • ArcGIS Pro
  • Photoshop
  • Microsoft Office

🌍 Research Interests

  • Public Health
  • Drinking Water Safety
  • Environmental Justice
  • Water Quality

Leadership & Service

🌊 Florida Water Environment Association USF Chapter (WCC)

President | Apr 2025 – Present

💧 American Water Works Association USF Chapter (Region IV)

Vice President | Apr 2025 – Present

Event Coordinator | Oct 2023 – Apr 2025

🎓 Guest Lecturer

• ENV6666 Aquatic Chemistry on USEPA Databases and Regulations (Nov 2025)

• AM4311 Potabilization on PFAS at UTEC (Oct 2025)

Publications & Presentations

📊 Beyond Violations: A Nationwide Framework for Cumulative Health Risk Assessment in U.S. Drinking Water Systems

Yazdani Arani, M., Wells, C., Pasha, M., Alfredo, K. Presented at Water Quality Technology Conference (WQTC), Tacoma, WA (Nov 2025)

📊 Rethinking how national drinking water safety is evaluated in the United States

Alfredo, K., Yazdani Arani, M. UNC Water and Health Conference, Chapel Hill, NC (Oct 2025)

📝 PFAS regulations and standard: varying thresholds, same toxicology

Yazdani Arani, M., Alfredo, K. In preparation for AWWA Water Science

📝 Gendered Learning for Water Security

Yazdani Arani, M., Darabi, H. In preparation for Environmental Development

Awards & Fellowships

  • 🏆 Roy Likins Scholarship (Aug 2025)
  • 🏆 ICPSR Diversity Scholarship (Mar 2025)
  • 🏆 Dr. Richard Stessel Memorial Fellowship (Jun 2023)

Professional Memberships

  • 🌊 Water Environment Federation (WEF) - 2025–Present
  • 💧 American Water Works Association - 2023–Present
  • 🌊 Florida Water Environment Association - 2025–Present

Certificates

📄 Download CV as PDF