Rate My Professor Piero Gardinali

Piero R. Gardinali is a Professor of Environmental Analytical Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida International University. He holds the position of Associate Director of the Institute of Environment, where he leads the Freshwater Resources Division within the Southeast Environmental Research Center. Gardinali obtained his B.S. in Chemistry and M.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography from Texas A&M University in 1996. His academic career at FIU began in 1998 as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, progressing to Associate Professor in 2004 and full Professor in 2014. Prior roles include Lab Manager and Research Associate at Texas A&M University and Instructional Faculty at Universidad Simón Bolívar.

Gardinali's research centers on environmental analytical chemistry, employing advanced mass spectrometry techniques for trace-level detection of legacy and emerging contaminants in waters, sediments, soils, biological tissues, and wastewaters. His work addresses non-target analysis, source apportionment, microplastics pollution, trace metals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, hydrocarbon chemistry, oil spill forensics, and water quality monitoring, with a focus on South Florida ecosystems like Biscayne Bay. He directs the Environmental Analysis Research Laboratory at FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus, supporting interdisciplinary efforts in environmental monitoring and assessment. Notable publications include "Toxicity of Six Representative Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds in Five Marine Test Species" (Science of the Total Environment, 2025), "Microplastic Filtration by a Coastal Mangrove Wetland as a Novel Ecosystem Service" (Microplastics, 2025), "Distribution, quality assessment and historical variation of trace metals in sediments from Deering Bay waterways (South Florida)" (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2025), and "Investigating the chemical space coverage of multiple chromatographic and ionization methods using non-targeted analysis on surface and drinking water" (Science of the Total Environment, 2024). Gardinali has received the FIU Excellence in Research Award (2006), FIU Top Scholar Award (2012), FIU CASE Faculty Service Award (2020), FIU CASE Faculty Research Award (2023), and FIU CASE Faculty Community Engagement Award (2023). He serves as Co-Editor in Chief of Environmental Nanomaterials, Monitoring and Management and Associate Editor of Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.