Jess Brandt, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Resources
Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering
University of Connecticut
She/her
Description: Contaminants operate at ecosystem scales and are a tell-tale signature of modern human activity. Though contaminants research has been primarily associated with the field of ecotoxicology since the 1970s, it also has strong roots in ecosystem ecology. The emerging sub-discipline of contaminant ecology aims to coordinate research that address the environmental influence of contaminants beyond their potential to cause toxicity. This presentation will introduce the proposed scope of contaminant ecology and highlight examples from Dr. Brandt’s research involving nutrient and contaminant biotransport by Pacific, selenium contamination in Lake Koocanusa, and PFAS dynamics in the Farmington River watershed.
About the speaker: Dr. Jess Brandt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Her research program sits at the intersection of ecology and environmental toxicology and uses a combination of field and lab experiments and ecological modeling to explore food web mediation of contaminant fate and flux and how contaminants influence organismal fitness under various stressor contexts. This work is motivated by contamination problems associated with large-scale coal and mineral extraction programs as well as routine contaminant loading via weathering and runoff, groundwater discharge, and atmospheric deposition. Dr. Brandt earned her PhD from the Nicholas School of the Environment and ITEHP at Duke University in 2018 where she was an EPA STAR Fellow. She also holds a BA in Public Health and MHS in Environmental Health from Johns Hopkins University.
Thursday, March 21, 2024, 12:00-1:15pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Room 1112, Grainger Hall (9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC)
This seminar will also be presented live via Zoom. Click HERE to join the livestream.