Kaci Buhl
Kaci Buhl, MS is a Professor of Practice at Oregon State University (OSU). She leads the Statewide Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP), working to educate professional pesticide applicators in collaboration with state agencies and NGOs. On the national level, Ms. Buhl is the Deputy Director of the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC), which creates pesticide-related videos, manuals, exams, and other resources for farmworkers, pesticide handlers, and licensed applicators. Additionally, she’s involved with the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at OSU. Ms. Buhl studied Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at Michigan State University.
Dr. Serhan Mermer
Mermer lab focuses on the toxicology, chemistry, and risk assessment, and communication of agrochemicals and pesticides in the environment, agriculture, and human health. Mermer measures pesticide levels in various matrices using analytical methods including HRMS, and LC-MS. Our goal is to integrate research from toxicology and chemistry into a program that promotes sustainable agriculture and supports science-based decision-making for stakeholders.
Dr. Manuel Garcia Jaramillo
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.
Dr. Jeroen Kool
Dr. Jeroen Kool is an analytical chemist specializing in high-resolution screening of biologically active mixtures. His research focuses on integrating analytical separations with biological assays and mass spectrometry to investigate bioactive mixtures such as environmental compounds, natural extracts, venoms, and metabolic mixtures. This work has led to the development of "nanofractionation analytics," a platform combining chromatography, nanospotting, mass spectrometry, and bioassays.
He has developed advanced methods for coupling both liquid (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) to bioassays for identifying toxicants in the environment, food, and natural extracts. His patented system for GC fractionation with parallel MS detection allows high-resolution post-column bio-assaying. Dr. Kool also developed techniques for profiling bioactive metabolic mixtures from drugs, especially those targeting GPCRs, nuclear receptors, protein kinases, and ion channels, including studies on the metabolic mixtures of recreational drugs and New Psychoactive Substances in wastewater.
Current research efforts include:
- High-throughput venomics for automated venom composition analysis.
- Nanofractionation analytics for zebrafish bioassays of venom toxins.
- Venom Variation Venomics (VVV).
- Analytical methods for studying venom-induced pathologies to improve snakebite treatments.
Dr. Robyn Tanguay
Dr. Robyn Leigh Tanguay holds the title of University Distinguished Professor within the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at Oregon State University. Additionally, she serves as the Director of the Superfund Research Center and the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory at the same institution. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Cal State University-San Bernardino, a Doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of California-Riverside, and postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Dr. Tanguay has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journals, firmly establishing her as a leading authority in her field. Her work has not only received widespread recognition but has also played a pivotal role in shaping policies related to chemical safety and environmental protection. Furthermore, she has dedicated herself to mentoring and guiding the next generation of scientists. Dr. Tanguay's distinguished career has been marked by numerous accolades, including her recent appointment as a Fellow at the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Leigh_Tanguay
Dr. David Reif
David M. Reif, Ph.D., is Chief of the Predictive Toxicology Branch in the Division of Translational Toxicology at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). In this role, he leverages expertise of the branch in artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science, toxicogenomics, spatiotemporal exposures and toxicology, computational methods development and new approach methods to advance predictive toxicology applications. He partners across NIEHS, the interagency Tox21 Program and the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods.
Prior to joining NIEHS in 2022, Reif was a professor of bioinformatics at North Carolina State University, in the Department of Biological Sciences. He has also served as a principal investigator with the U.S. EPA's National Center for Computational Toxicology and has been been recognized with several honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, awarded by The White House as the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Macon Carroll
Macon Carroll is a third year PhD student but this is her first year here at Oregon State University (OSU)! She recieved her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science from East Carolina University (ECU) in 2022. From there, she went on to begin pursuing her PhD also at ECU in their Pharmacology and Toxicology department. It was there that she began working in Dr. Jamie DeWitt's lab and this past July, Macon transferred to OSU to continue working with Dr. DeWitt in the Environmental and Molecular Toxicology department. She has been studying the immunotoxicity of certain novel PFAS, with a focus on B cell maturation, with hopes to dive deeper into the mechanisms behind this immunotoxicity.
Mitchell Kim-Fu
Mitchell Kim-Fu is a fourth-year chemistry Ph.D. candidate. He earned a B.S. in chemistry with a minor in philosophy from Creighton University in 2021 researching wine oxidation under Dr. David Dobberpuhl. In 2024, he completed a M.S. and is pursuing a Ph.D. under Dr. Jennifer Field at Oregon State University. Mitchell's dissertation research focuses on advancing traditional analytical methods for PFAS quantification and fluoropolymer thermal degradation. Broadly, his interests include exploring analytical techniques to understand the occurrence and fate of organic micropollutants in engineered systems, consumer/industrial products, and the environment. Through his work, Mitchell aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of emerging contaminants with implications for remediation or exposure.
Dr. Stacey Harper
Dr. Stacey Harper is a Professor in the Department of Environmental & Molecular Toxicology and the School of Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University. Studies in the Harper laboratory use rapid assays with whole organisms and communities of organisms to evaluate the toxic potential of diverse nanomaterials, including micro- and nanoplastics. Dr. Harper served as president for the Pacific Northwest Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (PNW SETAC) from 2020-2021 and past president from 2021-2023. She is a member of the steering committee for the SETAC Nano Interest Group Steering Committee and is a member of the Microplastics Interest Group. She also serves as a co-leader of the Pacific Northwest Consortium on Plastics and was recognized by the US National Nanotechnology Coordination Office as one of the outstanding women in nanotechnology in 2019.
Dr. Brittany Cunningham
Brittany Cunningham is a toxicologist and ecological risk assessor for EPA Region 10, in the Risk Assessment Branch of the Laboratory Services and Applied Science Division. She has a Master’s in Biology from Cal Poly SLO and a PhD in Toxicology from OSU. Before joining EPA, she was conducting laboratory work evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic pollutants, including micro- and nano-plastics, PAHs, heavy metals, personal care products, and pesticides, on aquatic organisms and environments. Brittany also previously worked as a contractor for NOAA conducting Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 consultations. In her current role, Brittany works on the development of biological evaluations for ESA consultations and Ecological Risk Assessment for Superfund sites.
Dr. Wayne Landis
Wayne Landis served as Director of the Institute of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry at Western Washing University from September 1989 until December 2021. He graduated with a BA in Biology from Wake Forest University (1974) and his MA (1978) and Ph. D. (1979) in Zoology from Indiana University. His first research position was as a Research Biologist, Toxicologist for the Chemical Research and Engineering Center of the US Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Since arriving at WWU his group has published over 200 papers, government technical reports and books, most with students as coauthors and many with undergraduate or graduate student as first authors. He is best known for his research to develop new approaches in ecological risk assessment, the relative risk model and Bayesian networks that include multiple stressors and their interactions. Research topics include not just chemicals but nonindigenous species, emergent diseases, microplastics, synthetic biology and climate change. He is now Research Professor Emeritus and projects include an ecological risk assessments for the Upper San Francisco Estuary, microplastics, the NRDA process, and climate change. His best cited works are in fields of biodegradation of organophosphates, ecological risk analysis, and the effects of contaminants on population dynamics.
Dr. Susanne Brander
Dr. Susanne Brander received a Ph.D. in Toxicology and Pharmacology from UC Davis in 2011. She is an Associate Professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University and also currently serves as a Senior Scientist for Environmental Health Sciences. Her research focus is on the occurrence and biological effects of stressors, such as micro and nanoplastics, endocrine disrupting compounds, other emerging contaminants, and climate change, on aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Her research program has been funded by NOAA, DOE, EPA, NSF, Sea Grant, WA Dept. of Agriculture, and California state agencies. Brander has served on the board of directors for the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, North America and is a member of the Green Ribbon Science Panel advisory team for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. She co-leads the PNW Consortium on Plastics and is on the steering committee for the Scientists Coalition for the UNEP Global Plastics Treaty.