Ghada El Zakhem Naous is a senior instructor of chemistry. As of 2019, she became the director of the Honors Program at LAU. Naous has completed many theoretical project studies in the fields of physical and in organic chemistry. Her thesis focused on the synthesis and transition metal coordination of substituted phenanthrolines.

She has taught freshman and sophomore courses in addition to sophomore and junior laboratory courses including CHM 101, CHM 201, CHM 202, CHM 203, CHM 204, CHM 205, CHM 301, CHM 310, CHM 313 and CHM 314.

Research Interests and Projects

She is currently working on research projects to determine the amount of acrylamide present in food consumed over daily basis - acrylamide was classified into Group 2A as probably carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The purpose of the project is to hopefully point to the ways that facilitate the development of improved industrial processes and domestic cooking conditions to regulate the acrylamide content and in turn reduce its effects on the diet after consumption.

Naous is also part of the research cluster of toxicology aiming to identify the quality of food and beverages present in the Lebanese market. She has practical and theoretical experience in instrumental analysis including HPLC, Gas Chromatography, Liquid Chromatography- mass spectrometry and elemental analysis.

Volunteering Experience

In her spare time, Naous is a volunteer in a religious organization that aims to help the underprivileged. She is an active member and one of the organizing committee members of Saint Elias Center for Continual Development (SECCD), which offers a variety of activities to help build a healthy generation.

Publications

• Ghada El-Zakhem Naous^a,  Areej Merhi^a, Ralph Daher^a, Mohamad Mroueh^b, Martine Abboud^c and Robin Taleb^a, Carcinogenic and Neurotoxic Risks of Acrylamide Consumed through Bread, Kaak, Toast, and Crackers among the Lebanese Population, Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology, 2022. DOI:10.106/j.yrtph.2022.105192.
• Ghada El- Zakhem Naous , Areej Merhi, Martine Abboud,  Mohamad Mroueh and Robin I. Taleb, Carcinogenic and Neurotoxic Risks of Acrylamide Consumed through Caffeinated Beverages among the Lebanese Population, Chemosphere, 2018, 208, 352-357. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.05.1850045-6535.
• Areej Merhi, Ghada El- Zakhem Naous , Ralph Daher, Martine Abboud,  Mohamad Mroueh and Robin I. Taleb, , Carcinogenic and Neurotoxic Risks of dietary Acrylamide Consumed through Cereals among the Lebanese Population, BMC chemistry, 2020.DOI 10.1186/s13065-020-00705-2

Academic Degrees

• MS in Organic Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
• BS in Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Lebanon