Dr. Mirella earned her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland in 1993. She joined the Petroleum Institute (PI), now Khalifa University, in 2005 as an Assistant Professor in Chemistry. In 2010, she won the ‘Faculty Service Award’ at the PI and three years later, was awarded the ‘Excellence in Academic Advising Award’. In 2013 she launched the Academic Intervention and Mentorship Program (AIM) and served as the AIM coordinator on the PI Women’s Campus, advising, guiding and mentoring female students who were facing academic difficulties. In 2016, she was appointed as Acting Director of the Women’s Campus, and in the same year was promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry. From 2017 until the end of 2018, she served as Interim Chair of the Chemistry Department at Khalifa University.
Dr. Mirella's area of expertise is in Applied Organic Chemistry with an emphasis on the applications of NMR, GC, IR, and MS techniques. Over the last five years, she has focused on biofuels and reviewed relevant reaction mechanisms, as well as explored factors affecting yield and elemental toxicity. Currently, she is involved in a project investigating hydrocarbons and other organic fuel additives that can reduce particulate matter released into the environment. The proposed research is expected to explore the action of these organic compounds in enhancing soot reactivity and oxidation rates inside engines.
