Environmental & Molecular Toxicology

Research

There are four main areas of research in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology. Our graduate program is similarly structured. For more information on these program areas, please visit the links on the left.

Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology

Environmental chemists study how molecular interactions and macroscopic transport phenomena determine the spatial and temporal distribution of chemicals in the environment. It is the environmental distribution and concentration of contaminants that ultimately determine the dose to humans and other organisms.

Ecotoxicologists study the transport, fate, and effects of toxic substances in ecosystems so as to improve our understanding of exposure and stress (hazards) to both individuals and populations. This requires interdisciplinary approaches that draw heavily on chemistry, toxicology, and ecology.

• Faculty members: Kim A. Anderson, Jennifer Field, Jeff Jenkins, Staci Simonich, Paul Jepson

Mechanistic Toxicology

Mechanisms of biological responses to toxic agents at the molecular, > cellular and whole animal levels, including biotransformation, immune systems responses, and multiorgan carcinogenesis and chemoprevention.

• Faculty members: George Bailey, Donald Buhler, Roderick Dashwood, Nancy Kerkvliet, Terry Miller, David Williams, Robert Tanguay

Molecular & Cellular Toxicology

Pathways by which environmental and endogenous genotoxicological agents induce DNA mutations that contribute to cancer and other diseases, and the mechanisms of cellular responses to such damage, including DNA repair, cell cycle control, and apoptosis.

• Faculty members: William Baird, Andrew Buermeyer, Roderick Dashwood, John Hays,
  Siva Kolluri, Robert Tanguay, Mitchell Turker

Mechanisms and effects on the nervous system of chemical or physical agents, with special reference to human disease.

• Faculty members: Charles Allen, Bruce Gold, Glen E. Kisby, Daniel Sudakin, Robert Tanguay

Links to our graduate program curricula in the four research areas: