PhD(c) Qëndresa Istrefi is an Assistant Lecturer in Chemistry at the Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences, Western Balkans University. She is part of the academic staff in the Department of Pharmacy, where she teaches Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry in programs including the Integrated Second Cycle in Medicine and Pharmacy, Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering, Bachelor’s in Biotechnology, and Bachelor’s in Dental Technician.

Qëndresa Istrefi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Prishtina. During her Master’s studies, she also spent one year in Germany, studying at Leipzig University and Justus Liebig Giessen University, where she gained advanced laboratory experience in organic synthesis. She completed her Master’s thesis research at Sakarya University in Turkey, focusing on experimental and applied organic chemistry.

She is currently a third-year PhD candidate in Chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana. Her doctoral research focuses on the “Determination of phosphates and nitrites used as additives in foods of animal origin and the assessment of their potential health risks to humans”. Her scientific work aims to bridge analytical and applied chemistry in the context of food and pharmaceutical safety. She has contributed to several scientific publications and presented her research at international conferences, including studies on sulfonamides incorporating ketene N,S-acetal bioisosteres as potent carbonic anhydrase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which demonstrated potential activity in targeting both hCA isoforms and AChE expression related to metabolic dysfunctions in Alzheimer’s disease. Her main research interests include organic synthesis, food chemistry, analytical chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. She also has experience in both pre-university and higher education teaching.