Dr. Gouma is Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Stony Brook. Her expertise is in chemical sensing and nanostructured materials development and characterization. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Birmingham, UK and she carried out Post-doctoral work at the Ohio State University, before joining SUNY-Stony Brook. Dr. Gouma serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, and at the Editorial Boards of Sensor Letters and the American Journal of Nanomedicine.  She have been acting as a reviewer for articles submitted to over 15 different journals and for proposals submitted to 4 funding agencies (such as, the National Science Foundation, and the ACS-Petroleum research Fund), including serving in panel reviews.  She is committed to establishing relationships with the local industry and she has given invited talks at the meetings organized by the Long Island Forum of Technology (LIFT). Similarly she has established collaborations and exchange programs with leading Institutes in Europe and in Asia. The National Academies invited her recently to participate in a US-Japan Dialogue Conference on the topic of sensors that is ¡¥expected to have an impact on international relations over the next 15-20 years¡¨.  She has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles on advanced materials, and she can be reached at SUNY Stony Brook, 314 Old Eng. Bldg, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-2275; Ph: +1 (631) 632 4537; Fax: +1 (631) 632 8052; Email: pgouma@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.