Science Leadership

SRP Health Scientist Administrator Heather Henry, Ph.D., hosted two Virtual Technology Fairs to highlight promising technologies developed by NIEHS-funded small businesses. The first focused on cutting-edge tools to detect and remove PFAS. The second highlighted innovative approaches for cleaning up metals in water.

Henry is also part of the scientific steering committee for the virtual Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable Spring meeting, to be held May 20 – 21. The meeting will focus on Characterizing Groundwater/Surface Water Interfaces for Effective Site Remediation Decisions and Contaminant Cleanup.

SRP Health Scientist Administrator Danielle Carlin, Ph.D., led the NIEHS Funding Insights room at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) annual meeting March 22 – 25. The Funding Insights Room facilitates one-on-one interactions among agency staff, grant recipients, and applicants.

The Texas A&M (TAMU) SRP Center hosted a meeting of the SRP community focused on data-driven solutions to improve human health and the environment. Held in December 2025, the meeting featured impactful research, community engagement, research translation, and training innovations from across the country.

A new scholarly journal by the Academic Research Community Alliance titled Environmental Health Advances includes several SRP grant recipients on the editorial board. These include University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SRP Center Director Rebecca Fry, Ph.D.; Oregon State University SRP Center Director Robyn Tanguay, Ph.D.; and Joel Meyer, Ph.D., of the Duke University SRP Center.

Other notable highlights in science leadership include:

  • Tanguay headshot
    Tanguay was recognized for her groundbreaking research using zebrafish in high-throughput contexts to advance toxicology. (Photo courtesy of the OSU SRP Center)

    Tanguay was named the Vice President-Elect of the SOT, and received the 2025 SOT Leading Edge in Basic Science Award.

  • University of New Mexico (UNM) SRP Center Director Jose Cerrato, Ph.D., was named President-Elect of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors during the September 2025 meeting.
  • University of Kentucky SRP Center Director Kelly Pennell, Ph.D., was named Editor-in-Chief of Reviews on Environmental Health.
  • TAMU SRP Center Director Ivan Rusyn, Ph.D., received the 2025 Philippe Shubik Award at the Toxicology Forum in recognition of his significant and noteworthy contributions to the field.
  • The consensus report summaries a series of workshops designed to collect information that may be used to advise decision makers on further developing the scientific foundation underlying the practice of cumulative impact assessment.
    The consensus report summaries a series of workshops designed to collect information that may be used to advise decision makers on further developing the scientific foundation underlying the practice of cumulative impact assessment.

    Several SRP grant recipients were co-authors on a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled “State of the Science and the Future of Cumulative Impact Assessment.” They included Rachel Morello-Frosch, Ph.D., of the UC Berkeley SRP Center; Weihsueh Chiu, Ph.D., of the TAMU SRP Center; and Julia Brody, Ph.D., of the Silent Spring Institute and co-investigator with the Northeastern SRP Center.

  • Chiu was also appointed to the Foundation for the NIH Complement-ARIE Validation and Qualification Network Common Data Elements Workgroup.
  • UC Berkeley SRP Center David Sedlak, Ph.D., received the 2026 Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology from the American Chemical Society.
  • George Cobb, Ph.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine SRP Center is serving as the Chair of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals, which provides independent advice on science and technical issues to assist EPA in implementing the Toxic Substances Control Act.
  • Quetawki’s artwork in Environment and Society
    Quetawki’s artwork blends tribal symbolism and knowledge with scientific concepts. (Image from Environment and Society 2025)

    Mallery Quetawki of the UNM SRP Center was named a 2025 Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow. Her artwork, "Phytoremediation and Air Particulates," was also featured on the cover of Environment and Society along with an article in that issue.

  • Baylor College of Medicine SRP Center project leaders Naomi Halas, Ph.D., and Peter Nordlander, Ph.D., were awarded the 2026 Hill Prize in Engineering, presented by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology.
  • Lindell Ormsbee, Ph.D., of the University of Kentucky SRP Center, was honored for his decades of dedication with an Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) lifetime achievement award at the EWRI Congress in Anchorage, Alaska.
  • Tim Phillips, Ph.D., of the TAMU SRP Center and Joseph Lewnard, Ph.D., of the UC Berkeley SRP Center were recognized by their universities for their excellence in mentorship.

SRP published a new Public Health Impact study highlighting work by SRP-funded small business Glycosurf and the University of Arizona SRP Center to develop innovative strategies that balance the need for mining important resources with sustainable and health-protective approaches.

In addition, the following previously published stories were recently updated with the latest developments and impacts:

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