People

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr. Manuel Garcia-Jaramillo
Assistant Professor

I am an environmental health scientist specializing in environmental chemistry and toxicology, working alongside engineers, microbiologists, and epidemiologists to pioneer advancements in water quality and to explore connections between water contaminants, gut microbiome, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Together, we are dedicated to protecting public health and ensuring the safety of water resources across natural, urban, and rural settings.

I began my academic studies with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Biotechnology. After earning an M.S. in Biology Education (2010) and an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (2012), I completed a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry (2015) from the University of Seville. I started my postdoctoral training at Oregon State University (OSU) in 2016 at the Linus Pauling Institute. In 2017 joined the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at OSU as a Research Associate, and in 2018 the OSU Mass Spectrometry Center as a Project Specialist. The same year, I was awarded a 2-year USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship; and, in 2020, a NIH R90 Postdoctoral Fellowship.

In 2021, I joined the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at OSU. My lab relies on state-of-the-art high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), combining suspect and non-target screening (NTS) to help expand the coverage of current water monitoring strategies. We combine a risk-based approach with effects-directed analysis (EDA), for the identification of emerging toxic chemical contaminants in water and their prioritization based on bioactivity, bioaccumulation, persistence, and environmental concentrations. In addition, we use targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics analyses, combined with genomics techniques, to better understand the impact of contaminants on animals and human health.

POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR

Dr. Juliana Huizenga

I am a NIEHS postdoctoral trainee in the department of environmental and molecular toxicology advised by Dr. Manuel Garcia-Jaramillo and Dr. Lewis Semprini in environmental engineering. I completed my BS in environmental engineering at the University of Michigan in 2019, and my PhD in environmental engineering with a minor in toxicology at Oregon State University in 2023. My doctoral work focused on developing novel bioremediation techniques for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using bacteria. My current research expands on PAH bioremediation to investigate novel PAH transformation products using high resolution mass spectrometry and non-targeted data analysis approaches.

FACULTY RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Kenneth Lee

Ken is a Faculty Research Assistant and joined Manuel’s team in September 2022. Previously, he was an FRA in Dr. Tory Hagen’s lab at The Linus Pauling Institute studying mitochondrial health, aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Ken is a graduate of UC San Diego (B.S., Physiology, 2000) and was a drug discovery biologist at Cytokinetics, a biotech company developing novel small molecules for the treatment of heart disease and muscle myopathies. Ken lives in Corvallis with his daughters, Hana (9) and Ami (5). He enjoys music, hiking, cooking, podcasts, and baseball.

 

Isabella Feldman

I’m Isabella, a Faculty Research Assistant in Manuel's Lab since September 2024. I support LCMS analysis in the Garcia-Jaramillo Lab, and also work in the bioremediation project of our Superfund Research Center (Project 5) – Led by Dr. Semprini. I graduated from the University of Arizona with both a B.S. and an M.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and was working on organic versus inorganic phosphorus utilization of marine microbes out of the Amazon River plume. Outside of work she enjoys hiking, climbing, whitewater rafting, and silversmithing.  

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Miranda Jackson

I am a 4^th year PhD student mentored by both Stacey Harper and Manuel Garcia-Jaramillo. My research focuses on chemical and micro/nanoparticle roadway runoff contaminant toxicity in freshwater organisms. I grew up in Southern Illinois and graduated in 2021 with a degree in Environmental Science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Outside of lab like to play tennis, pickleball, racquetball, be outside, and do lots of arts and crafts!

 

Peter Bright

I I am a current PhD student in the department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology. I completed my undergraduate education at Humboldt State University in 2021 with a major in chemistry, and I then went on to complete a master’s degree in Ocean Ecology and Biogeochemistry in 2023 at Oregon State University. My master’s thesis work focused on utilizing high-resolution mass spectrometry to gain insight into metal chelating organic matter that shapes trace metal distributions across the ocean, and I am currently completing a project with the Garcia-Jaramillo lab focusing on utilizing high-resolution mass spectrometry to analyze the chemical constituency of tap drinking water collected around Western Oregon.

Kerry Jacobs

I’m Kerry, and I’m a current PhD student in the EMT Department and have been a part of Manuel’s lab since July 2023. My research focuses on using targeted and non-targeted mass spectrometry-based analyses to monitor degradation products and study transformation processes of the cyanotoxin microcystin in Oregon’s lakes and rivers. I am also part of the EPA-funded antibiotics microbial resistance project, working on non-targeted and targeted analysis of antibiotics and transformation products in wastewater to determine their role in creating antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. In my spare time, I like to work on my fish tank, garden, and build my Lego collection.