More about our work...
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Our research is centered around two basic questions: what effect do we have on the health of the environment and what effect does our environment have on our health? To unravel these questions, we perform interdisciplinary research at the intersection of multiple areas of specialization, including chemistry, engineering, marine science, toxicology, and exposomics. My laboratory is amongst the few capable of providing the totality of exposomic measurement. Exposomics is a method that detects both the chemicals of emerging concern and their corresponding health-related effects through the use of biological markers.
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We develop novel mass spectrometric workflows to study the “life cycle” of these emerging chemicals. This includes their distribution in the environment, fate and transport, management and remediation, bio-integration and possible adverse health-related exposure outcomes using novel lipidomic and metabolomic workflows, biological readouts we are championing as innovative tools for understanding the impact of exposure. Over the last decade, I have established myself as a leader in the fields of lipidomics and metabolomics, with expertise in metrology, method development, and community-wide harmonization, while also championing the use of these omics as novel phenotypic readouts of health, disease, diet and exposure.
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Another unique feature of my research stems from my appointments in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Sciences, along with collaborations across campus in IFAS, UF Shands Hospital, and the Whitney Marine Laboratory, among others. These connections have helped foster innovative interdisciplinary research, develop well-rounded graduate and undergraduate students, expand collaborative possibilities on and off campus, and enhance the impact and competitiveness of publication submission, grant funding, and future employment prospects for graduates. Perhaps no better example of this in action is our work on the measurement of PFAS.
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At UF, I have built an internationally recognized PFAS research program by pushing the boundaries on the measurement of PFAS, obtaining funding and pursuing critical research objectives across multiple disciplines, effectively communicating our PFAS findings to local communities and state stakeholders, and preparing the next generation of interdisciplinary PFAS scientists. In keeping with the mission of UF, we are pioneering the first major PFAS efforts across the state of Florida (with national and international projects as well), providing data on the distribution of these pervasive chemicals, their environmental fate, and their impact the on health of our sustainable resources, wildlife, and ultimately humans.
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