Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas from Riverside

Merry Christmas to all from Riverside.  I hope you enjoy the holidays and have a happy and successful new year.  Below is a picture of the latest addition to my nutcracker collection, generously given by Elizabeth, my wife.





Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Photos from recent ISPTS conference held at UC Riverside

In late November, UC Riverside hosted the International Symposium on Persistent Toxic Substances.  Prof. Jay Gan took the lead on organizing the symposium which was an impressive event consisting of plenary sessions, multiple concurrent sessions, a reception, lunches, a banquet, etc.  There were a number of excellent presentations including prominent speakers in the field, and almost 300 people attended.  It was particularly enjoyable to see the involvement of students, led I believe by Stacia Dudley, one of Jay Gan's graduate students, who took care of many of the local arrangements.  Below are photos from the symposium.  Our thanks to Jay and his team for organizing such an outstanding conference. 




Prof. David Volz from UC Riverside
 
Prof. Ron Tjeerdema from UC Davis

Prof. Samantha Ying with 3 student award winners

Graduate students in attendance

Graciel and Gabi

More graduate students

Some of the students who helped with the local arrangements

Monday, December 21, 2015

Summer Fellowship for Advanced Graduate Student at ILSI

The message below was forwarded to me earlier today.

The ILSI North America Technical Committee on Food and Chemical Safety is sponsoring a summer fellow to work on a case study for a food-related chemical using the RISK21 approach for evaluating and comparing the applicability of traditional toxicology studies and complex data sets generated by in silico and HTS technologies in chemical safety assessments. The deadline to apply is Friday, 29 January 2016.

The announcement is also posted on the ILSI North America website: http://www.ilsi.org/NorthAmerica/Documents/ILSI%20North%20America%202016%20Summer%20Fellowship%20Announcement.pdf

We would like to request you to share the attached announcement with your graduate student members (Risk Assessment Specialty Section, SOT) who might have an interest in applying.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Mansi

Mansi Krishan, PhD
Science Program Manager
ILSI North America
1156 Fifteenth Street, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005-1743
202.659.0074 ext. 138
mkrishan@ilsi.org

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Samantha Ying is Lead PI on Major Grant



The UC Office of the President through its President's Research Catalyst Award program has sponsored a competition for grants that will address important areas of interest to the state of California and the University.  Samantha Ying, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and an ETOX faculty member, is the lead Principal Investigator on a recently awarded $1.69 million grant to study soil and how it crops use water and respond to drought conditions.  Her selection and project were written up in UCR Today.  The article can be found at this link. Our congratulations to Professor Ying and her colleagues for their selection as recipients of this major grant.

Sladek and Deol Study Continues to Attract Attention

The research of Poonam Deol and professor Frances Sladek which I spotlighted in July, continues to attract attention.  Their PloS One paper has been viewed or downloaded more than 28,000 times and has been referred to on numerous new sites.  Most recently, it has been referred to extensively in an article in People magazine.  Again, our congratulations to Drs. Deol and Sladek for these recognitions of their work. 

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Terrible Tragedy Too Close to Home

As you are probably aware, this past week there was a domestic terrorist attack just to the north of Riverside, in San Bernardino, in which 14 people were killed and 21 injured.  Two of those killed and two of the injured were alumni from UC Riverside.  Of particular note, one of the injured was Jennifer Stevens who graduated in Environmental Sciences with an emphasis in Environmental Toxicology this past June.  She was enrolled in two of the classes that I taught last year.  She is a fine young woman, and we hope that she has a speedy and complete recovery.  In the photo above, the flags in Washington, DC (and on U.S. government buildings throughout the world) are at half staff today and tomorrow in respect for those in San Bernardino who lost their lives or were injured in the attack.  We wish for the best for the survivors and their families as well as for the families and loved ones of the deceased. 

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Faculty positions in Environmental Toxicology at UC Riverside

UC Riverside has embarked on an ambitious effort to increase the size of its faculty.  One very positive aspect of this is that the administration has approved a search to hire up to 4 new faculty members in Environmental Toxicology.  Part of the description from the recruitment website is pasted below.  More information can be found here.

"....up to four positions in the area of Environmental Toxicology at both the junior and senior levels. The placement of each successful candidate may be in the departments of Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, or another relevant department, depending on the preferences of the candidate and the host departments. Junior candidates are expected to develop an internationally recognized and externally funded research program in one or more areas related to environmental health and toxicology. Senior candidates must have a demonstrated record of success in these areas."

If you are aware of great candidates, please encourage them to apply.  Thanks. 

Toxicologist Position at the National Toxicology Program

The National Toxicology Program, part of the NIEHS, is searching for a toxicologist to work at their facility in Durham, North Carolina.  More information can be found here

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Faculty Position in Chemical Biology at Fresno State

I received the email below from Dr. Choi from Fresno State.  I believe that you can access information on the position here by using the search terms chemical biology.  Good luck. 

The Department of Chemistry at California State University, Fresno is seeking qualified applicants to fill a tenure-track position in Chemical Biology, at the assistant professor level, beginning August 2016. For your convenience I have attached a copy of the vacancy announcement that more completely describes this position. We would greatly appreciate if you would circulate it to qualified individuals.

Interested individuals can find out more about California State University, Fresno by going to the university website at http://www.fresnostate.edu.  The university also has a website for New/Prospective Faculty at http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/aps/faculty/ that provides information not only on the university but also on the greater Fresno Metropolitan Area.  Vacancy announcements for all full-time faculty positions can be located at jobs.csufresno.edu (Job ID:12785)

We are trying to achieve the broadest and most diverse pool of candidates possible. If you have personal recommendations in this regard I would be happy to reach out to any such individuals and encourage them to apply.

For individuals seeking an academic career with a dynamic mix of teaching and research we believe we have a lot to offer.

Thank you.

Best wishes,
Jai-Pil Choi

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Postdoctoral position at Georgia Tech

ETOX faculty member Roya Bahreini asked me to post the following ad for a colleague of hers at Georgia Tech.  Please note that it is a screen shot of a pdf file so the links are not active.  


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Graduate and Undergraduate Paid Summer Internships at the CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has paid summer internships that are available for graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in a career in environmental health.  More information can be found at the links below.

CDC Summer Graduate Summer Internship

CDC Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health

CDC Summer Program in Environmental Health

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Stem Cell Outreach

ETOX graduate student Lauren Walker with Maricela Maldonado and Catherine Augello, graduate students from the Bioengineering Graduate Program recently participated in a Stem Cell Day at Tahquitz High School in Hemet where they talked with the students about toxicology, stem cells and regenerative medicine.  Lauren indicated that they had some good discussions with the students.  Below are some photos from the event.  My thanks to Lauren for sending the photos and for helping organize the outreach activity.




Friday, October 30, 2015

Position at EPA in neurotoxicology or reproductive/developmental toxicology

Below is the text from an email that I received today.  Note that the application deadline is Nov. 16, 2015

EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) is seeking a Toxicologist with expertise in neurotoxicology or developmental/reproductive toxicology to join the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program. The IRIS Program supports EPA’s overall mission to protect human health and the environment by identifying and characterizing the health hazards of chemicals found in the environment. The IRIS Program develops state-of-the-science health assessments that are used by EPA’s program and regional offices, as well as organizations at the state, local, tribal, and international levels, to inform decision-making. Deadline to apply for this position is November 16. For more information, including information on the specific duties and required qualifications, click here or visit USAJobs and search the job announcement number: RTP-ORD-DE-2015-0045.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Senior Scientist position at Amgen

Amgen is searching for a senior scientist with an expertise in mechanisms of carcinogenesis to work in its South San Francisco California offices.  More information can be found here

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Prue Talbot addresses e-cigarette myths in UCR Magazine


In the latest edition of the UCR Magazine, Prof. Prue Talbot, member of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program faculty member, addresses seven myths about e-cigarettes.  The article can be found here.  The research on e-cigarettes in Dr. Talbot's lab is being conducted by a group of dedicated graduate students, undergraduates and postdoctoral researchers (see photo above from the article) including Monique Williams, Vasundhra Bahl and Crystal Hua, ETOX graduate students.  It is nice to see Dr. Talbot addressing this important issue and to see her research spotlighted. 

Saturday, October 17, 2015

ETOX Fall Social 2015

Last night, Friday Oct. 16, the director of the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, Yinsheng Wang and his wife Shuli, hosted the annual fall social at their house.  There was a very good turn-out with approximately 40 in attendance.  Our thanks to Yinsheng and Shuli for hosting the dinner.  Below are some pictures from the event.












Yinsheng and Shuli

The blog meister

Ilhem Messaoudi discusses Ebola on NPR



Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Toxicology faculty member, Ilhem Messaoudi, was featured in a segment on National Public Radio this morning describing how the Ebola virus is able to remain for long periods in the bodies of many of the survivors of the disease.  The story can be found here and Ilhem has some great quotes.  Our congratulations to Ilhem for this nice recognition. I might mention that the segment is featured on Google News as well. [The photo is from UCR Today]

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Alumnus Alvaro Alvarado in the news

ETOX alumnus Alvaro Alvarado is an author on a recent article published in Environmental Science & Technology which describes the decline of toxic air contaminants in California and links the declines to regulations implemented by the California Air Resources Board and others.  The ES&T article can be found here.  The article was the basis of an article in the Los Angeles Times in which Alvaro was quoted extensively.  Our congratulations to Alvaro and his colleagues for this nice piece of work. 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Talbot Research on eCigarettes Featured on Al Jazeera America

The research of Environmental Toxicology graduate students, Monique Williams and Crystal Hua, on ecigarettes as well as that of others who work in the lab of Prof. Prue Talbot was featured in a TechKnow segment that was recently broadcast on Al Jazeera America.  A link to the show can be found here.  The section on the UCR research begins at about 12:34:22 am.  Our congratulations to Monique, Crystal, Dr. Talbot and others in the Talbot lab for this nice recognition.  Below are a couple of screenshots from the program. 






Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Carl Cranor receives two additional teaching recognitions

Prof. Carl Cranor, member of the Department of Philosophy and Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program faculty member, recently received two additional teaching recognitions from UC Riverside.  He was selected by the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences to be the Patricia McSweeny McCauley Chair in Teching Excellence for this upcoming year.  In addition, he was selected to join UCR's Academy of Distinguished Teachers.  Our congratulations to Carl for these recognitions of his excellent teaching.     

Friday, August 28, 2015

Cancer Biologist position at the EPA

The EPA will soon be advertising for a cancer biologist to work within the IRIS program.  The position announcement is still going through its human resources department but should be posted soon.  Below is the note that was forwarded to me by ETOX alumna Catherine Gibbons.

“The National Center for Environmental Assessment is planning to hire a scientist with a background in cancer biology.  We will be advertising this position shortly on the government's USAJOBS site, and I would appreciate it if you can bring this to the attention of suitable candidates who might be interested. I understand the advertisement is likely to have a very short deadline.”

Sarjeet Gill Elected Fellow of the Entomological Society of America


Prof. Sarjeet Gill, an Environmental Toxicology faculty member and former director of the ETOX Graduate Program, has recently been elected as a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America.  An news release about Dr. Gill's selection for the award can be found on the UCR Today website.  The photo above is also from the UCR Today article.  Last month, Dr. Gill was advanced to Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Riverside.  Our congratulations to Sarjeet for these impressive and well deserved recognitions. 

Note:  Sarjeet's election was also mentioned as a note in the Press Enterprise today.  

Friday, August 14, 2015

Postdoctoral positions at Amgen

ETOX Alumnus Drew Olaharski forwarded to me information on postdoctoral fellowships at Amgen.  Unfortunately the brochure is in a pdf form and I don't think it can be posted directly.  Below are screen shots which provide the key information. 


Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Postdoctoral position at UC Santa Barbara

I received the following position information earlier today by email. The position is with Roger Nisbet at UC Santa Barbara. 

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral specialist to participate in systems-based research for evaluating ecological impacts of manufactured chemicals. The overarching aim is to use Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) models to inform ecological risk assessment by determining how the effects of exposure to chemical stressors are expressed across levels of biological organization.  Specific projects include: (i) determining how genomic data on two model organisms (the waterflea Daphnia and the estuarine fish Fundulus) experiencing combined food and chemical stress relate to parameters in DEB models; (ii) predicting organismal and population “tipping points” caused by failure of physiological and population regulatory processes; (iii) developing individual and population models of adaptation to stress in chronically polluted environments.  The person appointed would work on one or two of these projects.

The research is part of a recently funded project led by Dr. Roger Nisbet (UCSB), working in collaboration with Dr. Erik Muller (UCSB) and Dr. Andrew Whitehead (UC Davis). UCSB is renowned for its quantitative ecological research and has a number of faculty involved in ecotoxicological research projects. There will be opportunity to interact and collaborate with researchers in the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (www.cein.ucla.edu).

Applicants must possess a PhD and have research experience in one or more of theoretical ecology, environmental modeling, systems biology, or closely related disciplines. The position is for 2 years, contingent on funding. Start date: 1 January 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter.

If you encounter anyone at ESA (or know of anyone) who might be interested, please encourage them to email me. Dr. Nisbet's email address is:  roger.nisbet@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Monday, August 10, 2015

Insect toxicology position at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln

I received the following email today.  Please go to the website below (or this more direct link) if interested.  Good luck. 

Colleagues …

We would greatly appreciate your assistance with posting/announcing the attached Insect Toxicologist position in the Entomology Dept at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The announcement is also posted on our web site http://entomology.unl.edu.

Please share with anyone who you think might be interested. Review of applications will begin on September 15, 2015.

Thank you!

Lance J Meinke
Chair, Search Committee
UNL Department of Entomology
Lmeinke1@unl.edu
402-472-8707

Gary J Brewer
Professor and Head
UNL Department of Entomology
Gbrewer2@unl.edu
402-472-8040

Friday, August 7, 2015

Exposure assessment positions at CalEPA

ETOX alumnus Eric Kwok sent me the message below.  If interested, I would recommend contacting him directly.  Good luck.

I am actively recruiting scientists with background in environmental fate modeling, physiological based pharmacokinetic modeling, or biostatistics to join my group for conducting human exposure assessment.  These positions are currently posted on the DPR website (please see the links below).  

Research Scientist II (Biostatistics/Epidemiology): http://jobs.spb.ca.gov/wvpos/more_info.cfm?recno=623041

Research Scientist II (Physical/Engineering Sciences): http://jobs.spb.ca.gov/wvpos/more_info.cfm?recno=621160

Research Scientist III (Physical/Engineering Sciences): http://jobs.spb.ca.gov/wvpos/more_info.cfm?recno=622886

For obtaining a hiring eligibility, applicant is required to take a qualifying examination first.  Hence, job applicant who is not on the eligibility list will not be considered.  However, I would like to reach out to any recent graduates or postdocs at UCR and provide them with guidance on how to take the qualifying examination and applying for the job.  Please feel free to forward these job announcements within ETOX and other departments.  Please contact me directly for additional questions.   Also, please ignore the final filing date of 8/14.  Thank you so much for your help!

Eric   

Eric S. C. Kwok, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.
Senior Toxicologist, Exposure Assessment Section
California Department of Pesticide Regulation
Human Health Assessment Branch
1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento CA 95812

Phone: 916-324-7842
FAX: 916-324-3506

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Sladek's and Deol's Research Featured in UCR Today

The research of Poonam Deol and professor Frances Sladek, Dept. of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and ETOX faculty member, on the obesity- and diabetic-causing effects of soybean oil is being featured at UCR Today (and other news outlets like the San Diego Union-Tribune and Yahoo News)  In addition to the article, there is a short video of Poonam describing their research results.  While performing the research as a postdoctoral fellow, Poonam was supported by our NIEHS-sponsored training grant in environmental toxicology.  Our congratulations to Poonam and Frances for this nice recognition of their work. 

Friday, July 24, 2015

Faculty position at San Diego State University in Water Toxicology

San Diego State University is looking to fill an assistant/associate professor position for a scientist with an expertise in water toxicology and human health. More information can be found here

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Senior Regulatory Toxicologist Position Available at Lubrizol

Lubrizol is looking for a senior regulatory toxicologist within its Product Safety and Compliance Department.  As described in the position announcement, the Senior Regulatory Toxicologist will be accountable for substantiating the safety of products globally – by performing regulatory toxicology assessments, interpreting global requirements and ensuring our products are safe and our product claims are valid, prior to product launch.  This position requires in-depth knowledge of complex toxicology principles and involves application of Lubrizol chemistry knowledge to the requirements of evolving global chemical control laws and product safety assessments.  More information can be found here

Monday, July 20, 2015

Postdoctoral position at the University of Minnesota, Duluth

The Department of Biology at the University of Minnesota Duluth is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to conduct research related to the development and application of pathway-based approaches to assess ecological risks of contaminants.  If interested, more information can be found here.  Use ecological risk as a search term to find the position.  Good luck.  

Monday, July 13, 2015

Wesley Hunter visit

ETOX Alumnus, Wesley Hunter and his family, are in town visiting his in-laws and stopped by for a visit.  Wesley works at the FDA with the veterinary group looking at the environmental effects of veterinary drugs.  He likes his work and appears to be doing well.  Below is a photo of Wesley and Katie with their children Joseph and Lydia.  It was good seeing them and wish them success in all that they do. 


Friday, July 10, 2015

Faculty postions at San Jose State

The Department of Biological Sciences at San Jose State University has a position for a Toxicologist/Pharmacologist with a preference for individuals with an expertise in systems physiology.  If you are interested, more information can be found here.  They are also advertising for a cell biologist/cell physiologist.  Information on that position can be found at this link

Friday, June 26, 2015

Asssociate Professor Position in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC Irvine.

The University of California, Irvine, Program in Public Health invites applications for a faculty position at the Associate Professor level, with expertise in epidemiology and biostatistics. This is a full-time tenured or tenure track appointment. A doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, DrPH, or MD), university teaching experience, and research excellence in a relevant field are required.

Candidates with substantial research experience in any area of epidemiology or biostatistics are welcome to apply. Teaching experience should include epidemiological research methods and/or applied biostatistics at the graduate level. The successful candidate will produce nationally recognized research, teach and mentor graduate students, obtain independent or collaborative research funding, and provide professional service to the program, the university, and/or the community.

The Program in Public Health recognizes the value of diversity in its faculty and encourages all qualified applicants to apply. The qualified applicant must have the demonstrated ability to work with diverse group of colleagues and teach and mentor a diverse student body. Candidates should submit a C.V., statement of research including current funding, statement of teaching, three peer-reviewed publications, teaching and diversity statements, and five references to https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF02813.  More information can also be found at the link above. 

Toxicology positions at the FDA

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is searching for toxicologists (and pharmacologists) to work within the Center for Tobacco Products.  More information can be found at the following links.
Toxicologist 1
Toxicologist 2
Pharmacologist 1
Pharmacologist 2

Good luck. 

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Postdoctoral Positions at the EPA

The EPA has recently posted a list of available postdoctoral positions, many of which are related to toxicology and risk assessment.  If interested, the list with links to more detailed information can be found here.  My thanks to ETOX alumna Catherine Gibbons and my colleague Bob Sonawane for calling these to my attention. 

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Annual Student Symposium 2015

On Thursday and Friday June 18-19, the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program held its annual student symposium at the UCR Botanical Gardens.  It was a memorable event with 45 excellent presentations - 13 from new students, 29 from continuing students and 3 from our NIEHS postdoctoral trainees. The award winners this year were:  Allison Kupsco who won the Fukuto award, Nicole Sparks, Nicole Williams, Samuel Hinman, and Stefanie Andrews were recognized as honorable mentions.  Corey Griffiths was selected for the best 1st year student presentation and Shuo Liu was recognized with the students choice award.  Bob Krieger was selected for the outstanding mentor award.  Below are pictures from the event.

Allison Kupsco giving her presentation on selenium

Graciel Diamante making her presentation on 2-hydroxychrysene.

Edmond Sanganyado speaking about chiral pesticides

Kristin Schrieber speaking about a flood tolerance gene and iron toxicity in rice

 Fukuto Award winner Allison Kupsco and ETOX Director Yinsheng Wang

 Honorable mentions Nicole Sparks, Director Yinsheng Wang, Nicole Williams, Stefani Andrews and Sam Hinman

Prof. Yinsheng Wang and Corey Griffiths, winner of the best 1st year student presentation

Lauren Walker and Marcus Pennington with Shuo Liu (center), winner of the students' choice award

Sajleen Phagura receiving the ETOX faculty mentor award for Dr. Bob Krieger who was unable to attend on Friday. 

Dawn Loyola receiving a gift from the graduate students from Lauren Walker