Dr. Lara Dronjak is an environmental chemist and chemical engineer specializing in environmental pollution monitoring, environmental risk assessment, and the study of emerging contaminants in air, water, soil, and marine ecosystems. Her research focuses on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), PFAS, heavy metals, microplastics, and other contaminants that may affect environmental and human health. By combining advanced analytical chemistry with environmental field studies, she investigates the occurrence, transport, and ecological impacts of pollutants in complex environmental systems. She currently serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the American University of Sharjah (UAE), where she conducts research on environmental monitoring and pollution assessment in the Gulf region. Her work includes the analysis of airborne particles, microplastics, and chemical contaminants in environmental samples, as well as environmental risk assessments related to pollution exposure. A significant part of her research focuses on the ecotoxicological evaluation of marine stranded species, investigating pollutant accumulation in dolphins, whales, and fish to better understand environmental pressures affecting marine ecosystems. Dr. Dronjak is also a Co-Investigator on the project “Integrating Environmental and Human Health Perspectives: A One Health Risk Assessment of PFAS and POPs in the UAE,” which aims to assess the distribution and potential risks of emerging contaminants across environment.