As an Aquatic Ecotoxicologist, my research characterizes the effects and mechanisms of contaminants and environmental stressors on aquatic organisms. Aquatic ecosystems serve as “sinks” for contaminants which can impact drinking water, fisheries, and other important ecosystem services. The main themes of my research are Contaminants of Emerging Concern, New Approaches to Legacy Pollutants, and Chemical Stressors in Complex Environments. Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are newly identified and unregulated contaminants that may be harmful to wildlife and human health. CEC research is important for informing risk assessments, policy, and new regulations. By contrast, legacy pollutants are regulated contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), that continue to persist in the environment and can be released through landfill leachate, dredging, improper disposal, or oil spills. New, innovative research is needed to address persistent challenges with legacy pollutants. In addition to contaminants, aquatic organisms are also exposed to environmental stressors such as pathogens, temperature, pH, salinity, and hypoxia (low oxygen). Many of these stressors are increasing due to climate change and can exacerbate the impacts of contaminants. Assessing the influence of environmental stressors on toxicity is crucial for understanding the impacts of contaminants in complex, changing real-world environments.

 

My vision is to lead a rigorous, collaborative, and high-impact interdisciplinary research program that uses innovative approaches to characterize fundamental processes in aquatic ecotoxicology and to support evidence-based decision-making through both basic and applied research.​ My research goals are to 1) determine the impacts of contaminants on ecologically relevant endpoints and species, 2) characterize the physiological mechanisms underlying toxicity, and 3) assess the influence of environmental stressors on toxicity. To address these research goals, I use both field and laboratory approaches including field surveys, in situ tests, multiple stressor exposures, multi-omics techniques, molecular methods, and whole organism assessments on development, growth, metabolic rate, reproduction, and behavior. This work is important for understanding fundamental processes in physiology and ecology, informing ecological risk assessments, evaluating human exposure risk, and determining organism responses to global change.