Seminar Title: "Long term effects of mitochondrial toxicity"
Time: 10:00 - 11:15 am est.
Webex Link: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/meet/jem02027
I received a B.S. from Juniata College in 1992 (dual “Programs of Emphasis” in Environmental Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies), and then moved to Guatemala where I worked for five years in a number of fields including appropriate technology and high school teaching. Building cookstoves, latrines and observing and water pollution led me to study environmental health and obtain a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Duke University (2003, with Dr. Richard Di Giulio). This triggered an interest in toxic effects of pollutants on mitochondria and DNA, which I pursued in postdoctoral research with Dr. Bennett Van Houten at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (2003 to 2006). I joined the faculty of the Nicholas School of the Environment in 2007, where I am currently the Truman and Nellie Semans/Alex Brown & Sons Associate Professor of Molecular Environmental Toxicology. I am also a faculty member and Director of Graduate Studies for the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, member of the Duke Cancer Institute, affiliate of the Duke Global Health Institute, faculty member of the Pharmacological Sciences program, and have a secondary appointment in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
My group studies the effects of pollutants on health, with a particular focus on mitochondria and DNA and how the effects of pollutant exposures are different when exposures occur early in life, or in the context of genetic differences. We study these effects using the nematode model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, cell culture, and collaboratively in samples from people, fish, and other species. I received the Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (NIH) award in 2011.
I teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and have served on a variety of committees at Duke, including Academic Council and the academic Programs Committee. Outside of Duke, major service includes working on the editorial board of three journals, the board of counselors of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society, and grant review for ad hoc and a standing NIH study section.
For more information, contact: Jose Manautou at jose.manautou@uconn.edu