Curriculum Vitae
Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah Eqani (PhD).
E-mail: ali_ebl2@yahoo.com; alishah@comsats.edu.pk
Phone No: 0092-331-5176512
Address: Environment and Public Health Division, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS
Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Research Experience:
1. 2005-2006: Research Fellow, Land Resources Research Programme, NARC, Islamabad,
Pakistan.
2. 2006-2011: PhD. Fellow at Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
3. 2008-2009: Visiting Research Fellow, Ecotoxicology Research Programme, NARC,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
4. July, 2009-Present: Visiting Research Fellow, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
5. Sep, 2011-July 2012: Visiting Faculty; Department of Environmental Sciences, QAU,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
6. July 2012- Present: Assistant Professor; Department of Biosciences, CIIT, Islamabad,
Pakistan.
Research Interests:
Fate and behavior of organic/Inorganic chemicals; primarily in aquatic environments.
Bioaccumulation of POPs/PAHs/Metals in the aquatic food web. Atmospheric Trends in
environmental POPs/PAHs/Metals contamination and the implications for sources. Biological
exposure to organic/Inorganic chemicals.
PhD Research Project and its Impact:
This study “Status of POPs in the riverine ecosystem of Pakistan“ is conducted in a region with
almost no data on organic contaminants. It is the very first research activity, which report
persistent organic pollutants (POPs) levels from the Chenab River, Pakistan, a major tributary of
the Indus River, associated with >100 million inhabitants. The results provide insights on OCPs,
PCBs, PBDEs, PAHs concentrations, possible sources, their seasonal variation and risk
assessment. Finally, the importance of current study is highlighted by the magnitude of the total
annual fluxes of POPs from the Chenab to the Indus River and Arabian Sea.
Research Publication:
1. Subhani M, Mustafa I, Alamdar A, Katsoyiannis IA, Ali N, Huang Q, Peng S, Shen H,
Eqani SAMAS*. Arsenic levels from different land-use settings in Pakistan: bioaccumulation and estimation of potential human health risk via dust exposure.
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety115 (2015) 187–194.
2. Kamran MA, SAMAS Eqani, Syed JH, Chuhdhary HJ. Effect of plant growth promoting
rhizobacteria (PGPRs) on Eruca sativa growth and Cadmium uptake. Environmental
Pollution and Research; 2014, DOI 10.1007/s11356-015-4074-x.
3. Zehra A, SAMAS Eqani , Katsoyiannis A, Schuster JK, Moeckel C, Jones KC, Malik RN.
Environmental Surveillance of Organo-Halogenated Contaminants (OHCs) from surface
soils of Flood-hit area of Indo-gangetic plains. Science of Total Environment. Volumes
506–507, 15 February 2015, Pages 344–352.
4. Zafar A, Eqani SAMAS*, Boston N, Cincinelli A, Hussain A, Shah STA, Tahir F,
Alamdar A, Peng S, Shen H. Toxic metals signature in the human seminal plasma of
Pakistani population and their potential role in male infertility. Environmental
Geochemistry and Health, 2014 DOI 10.1007/s10653-014-9666-8.
5. Liu L, She J, Zhang X, Zhang J, Tian M, Huang Q, Eqani SAMAS, Shen H. On-line
background cleanup using high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass
spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS) for analysis of perfluorinated compounds in human blood.
Journal of Sepration Sciences. Volume 38, Issue 2, pages 247–253, January 2015.
6. Nadeem Ali, Toufeer Mehdi, Riffat N Malik, Syed AMAS Eqani, Iqbal M.I. Ismail, Atif
Kamal, Hugo Neels, Adrian Covaci. Legacy and emerging organohalogenated
contaminants in matched serum and floor dust samples of various work places. Dioxin
2014. Organohalogen Compd 76, 653-656.
7. Nadeem Ali, Iqbal M.I. Ismail, Syed AMAS Eqani, Mohammad W. Kadi, Adrian
Covaci. Environmental exposure of emerging brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in
developing countries:
their significance for human exposure. Dioxin
2014. Organohalogen Compound 76, 788-791.
8. Nadeem Ali, Iqbal M.I. Ismail, Mohammad W. Kadi, Syed AMAS Eqani, Govindan
Malarvannan, Adrian Covaci. Levels of organohalogenated flame retardants in floor and
air conditioner filter dust from Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dioxin
2014.Organohalogen Compound 76, 657-660.
9. Syed AMAS Eqani, Nadeem Ali, R.N. Malik, A. Katsoyiannis, G. Zhang, Habib
Bokhari, Nida Hanif , Mohammad Sohail, Ambreen Alamdar, Maria Ali, A.
Mohammad. Organochlorine residue in the riverine ecosystem of Pakistan: distribution
and risk assessment. Dioxin 2014. Organohalogen Compound 76, 1082-1084
10. M Abdullah, A Muhammad, SA Malik, N Boston, H Bokhari, MN Shafaqat, A Alamdar,
M Fasola, SAMAS Eqani*. Avian feathers as a non-destructive bio-monitoring tool of
Toxic Metals Signatures: A case study from severally contaminated areas of Pakistan.
Chemoshpere; 119 (2015) 553–561.
11. Alamdar A, Syed JH, A Mohammad K Ahad, Z Shabir, H Bokhari, A Rasheed, I Ahmad,
, SAMAS Eqani*. Pesticides contamination in the Selected Exportable Food
Commodities of Pakistan: A review on the Consumer’s Health Risk and
Recommendations for Future Study. Environment Sciences and Pollution Research.
December 2014, Volume 21, Issue 23, pp 13367-13393.
12. N Ali, , T Mehdi, , RN Malik, SAMAS Eqani, , A Kamal, AC Dirtu, H Neels, ACovaci.
Levels and profile of several classes of organic contaminants in matched indoor dust and
serum samples from occupational settings of Pakistan. Environmental Pollution 193
(2014) 269-276.
13. SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, G Zhang, A Cincinelli, A Rasheed, A Qadir, H Bokhari, A
Mohammad, KC Jones and A Katsoyiannis, (2013). Uptake of organochlorine pesticides
(OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by River water fish. The case of River
Chenab. Science of Total Environment, 450-451;83–91.
14. M Khan, SAMAS Eqani*, A Katsoyiannis, SA Malik, M Abdullaha, A Hussain, A
Rashid, K Ahad, M Fasola, H Bokhari, A Mohammad, Cattle egrets as a biosentinels of
persistent organic pollutants exposure. Environmetnal Geochemistry and Health. 2013
15. M Idrees, SAMAS Eqani, H Bokhari. Sol-Gel immobilization of methyl parathion
degrading bacteria isolated from agricultural areas of Pakistan. Chemistry and Ecology.
2013
16. N Ali, R N Malik, T Mehdi, SAMAS Eqani, A Javeed, H Neels, A Covaci (2013).
Organohalogenated Contaminants (OHCs) in the serum and hair of household cats and
dogs: Biosentinels of human exposure to indoor pollution. Science of Total
Environment, 449, 29-36.
17. N Ali, LN Ali, SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, H Neels, A Covaci. Profiling of
organohalogenated contaminants in the serum of mothers and their children from
pakistan with different residential settings. Organohalogen Compounds, 2013, 75, 265268.
18. N Ali, SAMAS Eqani, R N Malik, H Neels, A Covaci (2013). Organohalogenated
Contaminants (OHCs) in Human Serum of Mothers and Children from Pakistan with
Urban and Rural Residential Settings. Science of Total Environment, 449, 29–36.
19. SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, A Alamdar, H Faheem (2012). Status of Organochlorine
Contaminants in the different environmental compartments of Pakistan: A Review on
Occurrence and levels. Bulletin Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 88;
303-310.
20. SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, A Katsoyiannis, G Zhang, P Chakraborty, A Mohammad
and KC Jones (2012). Distribution and Risk Assessment of Organochlorine Contaminants
in Surface Water from River Chenab, Pakistan. Journal of Environmental Mointoring,
14, 1645-1654.
21. SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, G Zhang, A Mohammad, P Chakraborty (2012).
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in the Sediments of the River Chenab, Pakistan:
Current levels and Their Toxicological Concerns. Chemistry and Ecology, iFirst : 1-13.
22. S Farooq, SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, A Katsoyiannis, G Zhang,Y Zhang, J Li, L
Xiang, KC Jones ZK Shinwari (2011). Occurrence, finger printing and ecological risk
assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Chenab River, Pakistan.
Journal of Environmental Mointoring, 13: 3207-3215.
23. RN Malik, S Rauf, A Mohammad, SAMAS Eqani, K Ahad (2011). Organochlorine
residual concentrations in cattle egret from the Punjab Province, Pakistan. Environmenal
Monitoring and Assessment,173: 325-341.
24. SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, A Mohammad (2011). The level and distribution of selected
organochlorine pesticides in the sediments from River Chenab, Pakistan. Environmental
Geochemistry and Health, 33: 33-47.
Accpeted Publications:
25. Siddiqui F, Champion O, Akram M, Studholme D, Eqani SAMAS, Wren B, Titball R,
Bokhari H, 2014. Molecular Detection Identified a Type Six Secretion System in
Campylobacter jejuni from Various Sources but not from Human Cases. Journal of
Applied Microbiology (Accepted).
26. Shabbir M, Aleem M, SAMAS Eqani, Javed S, Bokhari H, 2014. Spatial analysis and
identification of high risk plague regions in Pakistan based on rodent vector distribution
and climate change. Epidemiology and Infection (Accepted).
27. Said F, SAMAS Eqani, Javed S, Bokhari H. Bordetella parapertussis outbreak in
Bisham, Pakistan in 2009-2010: Fall out of the 9/11 syndrome. Epidemiology and
Infection (Accepted).
28. Mustafa I, Ghani A, Arif N, Khan M, SAMAS Eqani, Malik IU, Ahmed H, 2014.
Comparative metal profiles in different organs of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
and Black kite (Milvus migrans) in Sargodha district, Punjab Pakistan. Pakistan Journal
of Zoology (Accepted).
29. Irfan Mustafa, Nousheen Arif, , Syed Makhdoom Hussain, Inayat Ullah Malik, Arshad
Javid, , Mobushir Riaz Khan, SAMAS Eqani, Haroon Ahmed, 2014. Population
Dynamics of House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and House Crow (Corvus splendens) in
Punjab (District Sargodha), Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology (Accepted).
Submitted Manuscripts:
1. Bhowmik AV, Schafer R, Alamdar A, Katsoyiannis I, Ali M, Ali N, Bokhari H, SAMAS
Eqani*. Predictive Risk mapping of drinking water resources in the Indus delta
floodplains: Exposure Estimation of Arsenic and other trace metals pose serious health
risks to population. Environmental International (submitted)
2. SAMAS Eqani*, S Zaidi, Q Ali, ZI Tanveer, H Bokhari. Dietry exposures of toxic
metals via chicken consumption and assosiated human health risks. Food Chemistry;
2013 (Submitted).
3. I Hussain, RN Malik, A Katsoyiannis, G Zhang,Y Zhang, J Li, L Xiang, Alamdar A, M
Ali, A Sajid, SAMAS Eqani*. Occurrence, distribution and ecological risk assessment of
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Toxic metal in the surface sediments from
Chenab River, Pakistan. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2013 (Submitted).
4. Kamran MA, SAMAS Eqani, Bokhari H, Katsoyiannis A, Chuhdhary HJ. Effect of plant
growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) on Eruca sativa growth and nickel uptake.
Chemistry and Ecology (Submitted).
5. Mohmand J, Eqani SAMAS*, Fasola M, Alamdar A, Ali N, Mustafa I, Liu P, Peng S,
Bokhari H, Shen H. Non-Dietary Human Exposures to Toxic Metals in Punjab, Pakistan:
Bioaccumulation trends and Risk Assessment. Chemosphere 2014, (submitted).
6. Hanif N, SAMAS Eqani*, SM Ali, IA Katsoyiannis, A Mahmood, ZI Tanveer, H
Bokhari. Geo-accumulation and enrichment of trace metals in the sediments and their
associated risks in the River Chenab, Pakistan. Environmental Geochemistry and
Health (submitted)
7. Hanif N, Ali SM, Fasola M, Ali N,Tanveer ZI, Bokhari H, SAMAS Eqani*. Dietary
Exposures of Toxic Metals via River Water Fish Consumption and Assosiated Human
Health Risks (submitted).
Conference Papers and Poster Presentations:
1. SAMAS Eqani*, RN Malik, G Zhang, H Bokhari, A Katsoyiannis, KC Jones, A
Mohammad. Organochlorine residues in the riverine ecosystem of Paksitan. WWF
(2012).
2. N Ali, SAMAS Eqani, T Mehdi, AC Dirtu, H Neels, A Covaci. Human Exposure to
Flame Retardants in Different Occupational Settings from Pakistan. SETAC World,
Berlin 2012.
3. N Ali, LN Ali, SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, H Neels, A Covaci. Profiling of
organohalogenated contaminants in the serum of mothers and their children from
pakistan with different residential settings. Dioxin, 2013.
4. N Ali, SAMAS Eqani, LN Ali, H Neels, A Covaci. Fingerprinting of Organohalogenated
Contaminants (OHCs) in Different Occupational Settings of Pakistan. KCC, 2014.
5. SAMAS Eqani, RN Malik, N Ali, A Katsoyiannis, G Zhang, H Bokhari, N Hanif, M
Sohail, A Alamdar, M Ali, A Mohammad. Organochlorine Residues in the Riverine
Ecosystem of Pakistan: Distribution and Risk Assessment. Dioxin 2014.
6. N Ali, M.I. Ismail, SAMAS Eqani*, Mohammad W. Kadi, Adrian Covaci.
Environmental exposure of emerging Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) in
developing countries: their significance for human exposure. Dioxin 2014.
7. N Ali*, M.I. Ismail, MW Kadi, SAMAS Eqani, M Govindan, A Covaci. Levels of Organ
halogenated flame retardants in floor and air conditioner filter dust from Jeddah,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dioxin 2014.
8. N Ali, T Mehdi, RN Malik, SAMAS Eqani, IMI Ismail, H Neels, A Covaci. Legacy and
Emerging Organ halogenated Contaminants in the matched serum and floor dust samples
of various work places. Dioxin 2014.
Research Collaborative Studies:
1. Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland. I with the
scientists from Eawag have been investigating the extent of geogenic contamination in the groundwater
resources.
2.Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Belgium (2012-onwards). (I with a group of 15
scientists, conducting studies aimed at investigating the extent and health risks associated with the
“Persistent Organic Contaminants (POPs), specifically Flame Retardants from different areas of
Pakistan").
3. Lancaster Environmental Center, Lancaster University, UK (2009-pressent). (I with help
of scientists from Lancaster University, have been investigating the status of POPs in Pakistan
and its contribution towards total Regional and Global POPs emission).
4. Norwegian Institute for Air Research, FRAM, Tromsø, Norway (2012-onwards). (I with
scientists from FRAM, Norway studying the behavior of POPs in the Air from South Asia
region).
5. Guangzhou Institute of Organic Geochemistry, SKLOG, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
China (2009-present). (I with the scientists from SKLOG evaluating the POPs status in the
freshwater resources of Pakistan).
6. Department of Ecotoxicology and Environment, Koblenz University, Landau, Germany
(2013-present). (I with the scientists from KOBLENZ University evaluating the non-polar
toxicants from the Indus River, Pakistan: Using aquatic passive sampler approach).
Computer Skills:
1. Proficient use of window based software (Ms Word, Ms Excel, and Ms PowerPoint).
2. Data based software’s operational skills including Statistical software (Statistica, SPSS, PcORD, and MVSP).
3. GIS-based software (Arc. View, Arc GIS).
4. Computational Toxicology Software.
Technical Expertise:
1. Pesticides residues analysis, Organic contaminants analysis.
2. Extraction, purification and method optimization for organic contaminants studies.
3. GC-ECD, GC-MS-MS operational skills.
4. Use of Aquatic Ecosystem/Atmospheric Monitoring instruments.
5. Field based instruments use.
6. Sampling techniques for various environmental matrices including Air, Water, Soil and
Biological.
Course Taught
1. Environmental Toxicology
2. Biodiversity and Conservation
3. Environmental Biology
4. Lab Techniques in Environmental Sciences
Training and Workshops:
1. IRSIP (HEC), Six monthly Foreign Training (July 2009-DEC-2009) at Chinese Academy of
Sciences, China.
2. DAAD International summer school on Advances of Environmental Technologies (April
2012) arranged by Department of Plant Sciences, QAU, Islamabad, Pakistan.
3. Internship training Programme (3 months) at LRRP, NARC, Islamabad, Pakistan.
4. IAEA/RCA/PAEC National Workshop on Assessment, Planning and Response to Aquatic
Environmental Emergencies in Pakistan (2-3 Nov 2006).
5. Training Workshop arranged by PAK-EPA on Integrated National Chemicals and Waste
Management Programme (6-7 Dec 2006).
6. Field expeditions in different areas of Pakistan regarding different environmental studies
arranged by different organization (WWF, PWP, UNDP, and QAU).
7. DAAD International summer school on Spatial Ecotoxicology (September, 2013) at
KOBLENZ University, PfLAZ, LANDAU, Germany.
On-Going Research Projects
1. Investigation of natural groundwater contaminants.
2. Biogeochemistry of Arsenic in the Regional Dust .
3. Atmospheric persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and carbonaceous aerosols in high
mountains: climate change concerns '.
4. Toxic metal and POPs Signatures in the human milk and Human Semen: A case study in
the severely contaminated areas.