I am Lebanese Ph.D. fellow born in 1998. Before joining the E-MUSE program, I studied Chemical Engineering at the Lebanese University and graduated in 2021. During my last year, I also pursued a Masters degree in Bioprocess Engineering-Processes, Biotechnology, and Food at Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech in Paris, France. My Masters’ thesis focused on the extractive bioconversion of an organic acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid. I started my Ph.D. on the 1st of September 2021.

My position is Early Stage Researcher 15 (ESR15). I am based in INRAE, Paris. The main objective of my study is to develop dynamic models for the evolution of selected use properties of cheese during the ripening process. Use properties include sensory evaluations of cheese attributes expected by consumers, and technological properties desired by the cheese-making companies. I work on coupling energy and mass transfer models with biochemical models of metabolism for respiration, mass loss, texture and production of volatile compounds relevant for organoleptic perception of cheese.

Indeed, communication is key, and I love communicating with others. I fluently speak English, French, and Arabic, and am currently learning Spanish. As of 2011, I have been giving private lessons to younger students, helping them succeed and communicating to them both scientific and literary knowledge. My hobbies include reading and writing. Moreover, in parallel to Engineering School, I majored in Philosophy for two years in Lebanon, before leaving to France. It helped me get a broader knowledge on important topics such as ethics, existence and truth. I also like music and have been playing the piano for over 18 years.

Determined, persevering, and committed, I work passionately on my projects and am always up for new challenges. I love meeting people from different cultures and am always ready for new experiences.