Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora (READ)

Dritan Agalliu completed his Ph.D. in Genetics and Cell Biology from Columbia University in 2006 and his postdoctoral training in Neuroscience from Stanford University in 2011. Dr. Agalliu started his independent academic career as an Assistant Professor in 2011 at the University of California, Irvine and he was recruited in the Department of Neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2015 where he is currently an Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology in Neurology. Dr. Agalliu has 25 years of biomedical research expertise in neuroscience and neurological diseases. Dr. Agalliu’s research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the formation of brain blood vessels and their properties, specifically the blood-brain barrier, and the mechanisms that trigger neurovascular dysfunction in neurological diseases ranging from ischemic stroke to autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases using genetic, molecular, cellular, computational and imaging approaches.

Dr. Agalliu has received numerous grants in support of his research from the National Institute of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the American Heart Association, the Leducq Foundation. He was the recipient of the Harold and Golden Lamport Research Award for Excellence in Basic Sciences from Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2020. Dr. Agalliu has trained more than 30 postdoctoral scientists, graduate and undergraduate students and he has published numerous research articles in prestigious scientific journals including Nature, Cell, Neuron, Nature Communications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Acta Neuropathologica, Brain, Cell Reports.

Dhimiter Bello is a tenured Professor of Analytical and Environmental Toxicology and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His research integrates analytical chemistry, exposure science, and chemical toxicology to understand how complex chemical mixtures and particulate exposures affect human health and to translate this knowledge into evidence-based strategies for disease prevention and safer materials design.

For more than two decades, Dr. Bello has worked across disciplines, collaborating with occupational physicians, molecular toxicologists, epidemiologists, and materials scientists to advance methods for exposure measurement, toxicant biokinetics, and dosimetry. His work has contributed to improved understanding of human exposures to engineered nanomaterials, reactive industrial chemicals, and emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Dr. Bello spent over a decade collaborating with the Harvard Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, where his research examined interactions between engineered nanoparticles and biological systems and helped advance methods for nanotoxicology testing and exposure assessment. His current research also includes human biomonitoring, systems toxicology, and the development of practical interventions to reduce harmful chemical exposures.
He has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and five book chapters, with over 6,300 citations. According to ScholarGPS, he is ranked among the top 0.5% of scholars worldwide in research impact related to nanomaterials.

Dr. Bello earned a BSc in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Tirana, an MSc in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Manchester (UK), and an ScD in Work Environment (Exposure Sciences and Occupational Health) from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He completed postdoctoral training in Environmental Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Mirjeta Beqiri holds a BBA in Statistics from the University of Tirana, Albania, and an MBA and Ph.D. in Operations Management from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA. Dr. Beqiri serves as the MBA Programs Director and teaches courses in the field of Data Analysis and Operations Management at Gonzaga University, USA, since 2002. In addition, Dr. Beqiri volunteers to teach in the Jesuit Worldwide Learning program. Prior to coming to the United States, Dr. Beqiri worked as the Director of the Statistical Directory of the District Council of Shkoder, Albania, and as Assistant Professor and Department Chair at the Faculty of Economy, University “Luigj Gurakuqi”, Shkoder, Albania.

In 2013, Dr. Beqiri was awarded with the Gratitude of University of Shkodra for “Distinguished contribution in the establishment, sustainment and advancement of the School of Economics”. Dr. Beqiri’s research interests include perceived waiting times, service quality, outsourcing, business ethics, business education, and distance learning. She is a member of several professional organizations, such as Decision Sciences Institute, POMS, and EUROMA.

Dr. Beqiri serves (or has served) both the School of Business and Gonzaga University, holding such positions, as: Regent, Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Chair of the Graduate Programs Committee, Academic Council, and Faculty Senate, to name a few. In the Spokane community, Dr. Beqiri serves as the Vice President of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest and supports other organizations, as well.

For her outstanding performance Dr. Beqiri has been awarded with “Best Paper Award” (2007), “Outstanding MBA Professor of the Year Award” (multiple times), and Gonzaga University’s “Faculty Exemplary Award” (2013). She has received also several awards from the School of Business Administration, Gonzaga University.

Andi Hoxhaj, O.B.E is a Lecturer in Law and the Director of the European Law LLM pathway programme at King’s College London, and an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. Before joining King’s College London, Dr Hoxhaj was a Lecturer in Law at University College London and a Fellow in Law at the University of Warwick. He is also the author of a book entitled “The EU Anti-Corruption Policy: A Reflexive Governance Approach (Routledge, 2020”) and has published several peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals on the rule of law, anti-corruption, academic freedom, authoritarianism, migration, European enlargement policy, and the Western Balkans.

Dr Hoxhaj regularly contributes to the international media on his research areas, and he has provided expert evidence to the EU Parliament on the rule of law and human rights (2025), and to UK Parliamentary committees on the Western Balkans (2024), migration (2022), corruption (2018). He received a number of awards and recognitions, including the “British Academy Rising Star Award in 2018”, “The Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence 2021”, and The King Charles III in the New Year Honours List 2024, awarded Dr Hoxhaj “the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)” in recognition of his work and contribution to UK-Albania relations.

Lantona Sado was appointed Director General of the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) on 7 January 2026. She brings over 20 years of experience in official statistics, having begun her career at INSTAT as a specialist and later serving as Head of Unit for national and international statistical projects. In this role, she was directly involved in conducting large-scale statistical surveys.
Following the completion of her PhD at Sapienza University of Rome, Ms. Sado expanded her expertise through various international cooperation projects, serving both as manager and technical expert, and gaining extensive experience in financial management. She possesses deep knowledge of EU regulations, recommendations, and standards related to official statistics, alongside a strong command of UN statistical guidelines.


Before her appointment as Director General, Ms. Sado served as Resident Twinning Advisor for the EU-funded project “Enhancing the Palestinian National Statistical System by Keeping Pace with New Developments”.

She is committed to advancing the quality, relevance, and accessibility of official statistics in Albania, aligning them with European and international standards, and to supporting a strong, independent, and reliable statistical system through close cooperation with national and international partners.

Fatos Xhafa, PhD, is a Full Professor at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain. A distinguished academic with global reach, he has held visiting professorships at the University of Surrey (UK), Birkbeck College, University of London (UK), and served as a Research Associate at Drexel University (USA). He has lectured at more than 25 universities worldwide and has led or participated in more than 20 research projects in Spain, the EU, and the USA. Recently, he has also established collaborations with universities in his native country, Albania. Prof. Xhafa has published extensively in top-tier journals and conferences, holding an H-index of 66 with over 16,000 citations (2026) and ranked as a top-cited author in Scopus. His contributions have been recognized with research and teaching merits from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education, as well as multiple best paper awards.


He holds significant leadership roles in the scientific community, serving as the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Internet of Things journal (Elsevier) and formerly of the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing. He is also an active member of the IEEE Communications Society and the IEEE Systems, Man, & Cybernetics Society. His current research focuses on IoT, Cloud-to-Thing continuum computing, massive data processing, optimization, and machine learning.