Dr Bita Zaferanloo

Biography

Dr Bita Zaferanloo attended the Ferdowsi University for her undergraduate studies in Agriculture Engineering and continued her Master studies in the field of Biotechnology working on her project titled: "Transformation of proteinase inhibitor gene to cotton using Agrobacterium spp. for producing pest-resistant cotton". She obtained her PhD from the Department of Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at the Swinburne University of Technology in the field of Microbial Biotechnology working on natural products and drug discovery. Her project investigated endophytes from Australian native plants as novel sources of bioactive compounds with industrial, environmental and medicinal applications.

Since her academic appointment as the lecturer in the School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, she has started to explore and develop a profound passion and broad aptitude for learning, teaching and research. Her research interests are focused on "Natural Products and Drug Discovery" and "Student Engagement in STEMM" and her aspiration is to further recognition of research impact especially in the field of medical/environmental microbiology and STEMM education.

She leads WIL initiatives (Shaping STEMM Futures) and collaborates intensively with industry, community organisations and university services to develop students’ employability skills and showcase best practice. She believes community knowledge is a powerful force and her aim is to empower students to act as science communicators to lead and shape the future of STEMM.