Dr. Moghissi received his education at the University of Zurich, Switzerland and the Technical University of Karlsruhe in Germany, where he received a Doctorate degree in physical chemistry.  Following his immigration to the U.S., Dr. Moghissi joined the U.S. Public Health Service, which, upon the formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), became a part of that Agency.  Dr. Moghissi served in a number of capacities at the EPA, including Director of the Bioenvironmental/Radiological Research Division; Principal Science Advisor for Radiation and Hazardous Materials; and Manager of the Health and Environmental Risk Analysis Program.  Prior to his retirement from the EPA, Dr. Moghissi represented the Office of Research and Development (R&D) in a number of work groups responsible for drafting regulations.  As the representative of the EPA's R&D, he emphasized the need for reliance upon peer-reviewed information as the basis for regulatory activities.  Subsequent to his retirement from the EPA in 1985, Dr. Moghissi formed the Institute for Research Technology.  One of the first contracts awarded to RSI in 1987 involved the development and implementation of environmental health and safety training programs for senior staff of the Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE contractors.  At that time, the DOE adopted the application of environmental requirements to its operations, and recognized its senior staff required training in all aspects of environmental laws and regulations.

In 1989, Dr. Moghissi joined the University of Maryland at Baltimore as Assistant Vice President for Environmental Health and Safety, and in 1993 was appointed Associate Vice President for Environmental Health and Safety at Temple University in Philadelphia.  During his tenure at these institutions, the functions of RSI were transferred to these universities.  In 1995, RSI was reconstituted as an independent institute with Dr. Moghissi as its President.  He held other academic appointments as Visiting Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia, as well as affiliations with the University of Nevada and Catholic University of America.

Dr. Moghissi's extensive research experience has dealt with diverse subjects ranging from the measurement of pollutants to the assessment of the biological effects of environmental agents.  A major segment and focus of his research are concentrated on scientific information upon which laws, regulations, and judicial decisions are based.  During the last 20 years of his career, he has emphasized the need for reliance upon "Best Available Science" (BAS) as the foundation for regulatory decision-making, and has strongly promoted and advocated the peer review process as the cornerstone of BAS.  In addition, he has fostered the formation of a consensus in certain contested areas of science by reliance upon professional societies as an appropriate and effective vehicle to organize, plan, and conduct training courses, professional meetings, training workshops, and similar approaches to develop and prepare consensus reports on specific topics.

Since 1987, Dr. Moghissi has been awarded a number of grants and contracts to foster the development and application of BAS.  Currently, he is the Principal Investigator of a joint collaborative program between RSI and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).  Recognizing the need for the inclusion of many scientific and engineering disciplines, the joint ASME/RSI program currently includes provisions for the cooperation and active participation of several other professional societies.

Dr. Moghissi is author of over 300 publications, including several books.  He founded and was the Editor-in-Chief of Environment International and Waste Management.  He is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Technology, which is the continuation of the Journal of the Franklin Institute-one of America's oldest, technical journals.  Dr. Moghissi is a member of the editorial boards of several other scientific journals, and is active in a number of civic, academic, and scientific organizations.  He is an officer of ASME; an honorary member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements; a member of the International Academy of Indoor Air Sciences; and an Academic Councilor of the Russian Academy of Engineering.