Hassanali Mollashahi – I want to improve cities and make them smarter

Hassanali was born in Iran. His scientific adventure began when he started his studies at the University of Zabol in his homeland. There he defended his master's thesis in agricultural entomology in the field of agricultural engineering.

After graduating, he started working as a teacher at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan. After a year, he decided to move to Italy to continue his studies at the University of Padua, where he completed his second master's thesis in sustainable agriculture. During his studies, he researched interactions of insects with microorganisms, molecular analysis and integrated plant protection.

From Iran, through Italy, to Poland

– Before starting my studies at the UPWr Doctoral School, I studied in Italy, where I gained experience in working in an international environment. I made contact with many students and professors from all over the world, and learned how to live in multicultural environments. I also learned from my professors in Italy, that working in various research teams helps to establish academic ties and networking, and has a huge impact on improving one's lifestyle – says the doctoral student.

When asked why he chose the UPWr Doctoral School, he replied: – I chose the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences mainly because of the possibility of applying for various types of grants that allow me to develop my own research ideas. Additionally, UPWr offers many opportunities to appear in an international research environment.

Currently, Hassanali is in his second year of his PhD at the UPWr Doctoral School, where he researches the possibility of improving the quality of ecosystem services provided by urban greenery. His work focuses on low greenery, i.e. urban grasslands. His research covers lawns, roadside greenery and wastelands, which form an important part of the city's green infrastructure as habitats and migration routes for plant and animal species that exist within the open landscape.

Urban grasslands - an important element of the urban ecosystem

– My work is an interdisciplinary research area, in which I am eager to work with scientists from other disciplines. It covers topics from urban connectivity, which is considered to be a proxy of biodiversity, all the way through genetic analyses of plant species using molecular methods, to chemical soil analysis towards heavy metals across different habitat structures in urban areas. We are trying to understand the microbial profile of urban soil, which will produce data that will aid city planners, public health officials, etc. We may discover new species, and note that engineered metagenomic ecosystems will be able to enable more responsive, safer, and quantified cities. 

Hassanali’s work also includes field research involving analyzing the flora and soil of urban greenery and experiments related to analyzing the possibility of enriching urban grasslands with species beneficial to insects. He’s studying the microbial profile of urban soil, which will help urban planners and public health officials by providing a large amount of data. His research will help create ecosystems adapted to the ever-changing climate, making cities a better place to live.

The aforementioned field studies regarding analyzing the condition of vegetation and soil  are carried out on urban grasslands in Wrocław, and the microbiological analysis of the soil will be done at the University of Padua. The last part of Hassanali's PhD involves an experiment and analysis of the possibilities of enriching urban greenery with species useful to insects. 

To improve the quality of life

Mollashahi's PhD is carried out as part of the POWER 3.5 project, in which his supervisors are prof. Magdalena Szymura from the Institute of Agroecology and Plant Production of UPWr and professor Stefano Macolino from the University of Padua.

– I met Professor Magdalena for the first time in January 2020, just after I came to Wrocław. At our first meeting I realized that she was a really nice and supportive person. As a young scientist, I have learned a lot from her. Not only academically but socially also. I really appreciate her kindness and support – says Mollashahi about one of his supervisors, adding how he met professor Macolino – As for professor Stefano Macolino, I met him when I was still living in Italy. He was introduced to me by one of my professors. We immediately started talking about my project and I am glad that he is able to work with me on this research. He is always available to me, and I’m still learning from him.

In the future, the PhD student of the UPWr Doctoral School would like to continue his scientific career: – My scientific goal is to have my own research team and research company, which would include scientists and researchers from various disciplines. I would like us to explore ways to improve the quality of life for people in cities all over the world, especially in developing countries.

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