Ting-An Lin Awarded a Fellowship from the American Heart Association

Ting-An Lin, a current ETOX student working in the lab of Chengchang Zhou, a Professor of Biomedical Sciences and an ETOX faculty member, has recently been awarded a two-year predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association to support his work on the mechanisms underlying microplastic-elicited atherosclerosis.  Our congratulations to Ting-An for this very nice award and recognition.  

Microplastics Affect Atherosclerosis in Male Mice

Ting-An Lin, a current ETOX graduate student and ChangCheng Zhou, a Professor of Biomedical Sciences and ETOX faculty member, with their associates recently published an article in Environment International that showed that male LDLR-deficient mice, which are prone to developing atherosclerosis, exhibited substantially worse atherosclerosis when fed a low-cholesterol diet and administered microplastics orally. Interestingly, these changes were not seen in female mice.  Their work was recently highlighted in UCR News website.  Our congratulations to Ting-An, Changcheng and colleagues for this recognition of their research. [The graphic above is from their Environment International article.]

Exposure to Dust from the Salton Sea Causes Disease-associated Respiratory Changes in Mice

Emma Aronson, a Professor of Microbiology and Plant Pathology and ETOX faculty member, and a research team from UC Riverside have recently shown that exposure of mice to dust from the Salton Sea, a drying lake located in inland Southern California, changes the microbiome within the mouse lungs and resulted increased neutrophil recruitment and immune responses.  Similar effects occurring in humans may explain in part the high incidences of asthma seen in individuals living near the Salton Sea.  This work was recently published in mSphere and has been highlighted in a UCR News article and other news sources such as the Guardian.  Our congratulations to Emma and her fellow investigators for their unique and important work. [The figure above shows the sampling locations and comes from the authors' mSphere article.]

Study Links Popular Soybean Oil to Obesity

A recent study led by Sonia Deol, Frances Sladek (Professor of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology) and ETOX faculty member and colleagues has shown that mice consuming a high-fat rich in soybean oil, one of the most popular cooking oils in the United States, became overweight whereas transgenic mice fed the same diet did not. They showed that the soybean consuming mice produced a different form of a liver protein that appears to change how the body processes the soybean-derived linoleic acid.  Their work was recently published in the Journal of Lipid Research and has been spotlighted on the UCR News website as well as Newsweek and other prominent news sites.  Our contractions to Sonia, Frances and associates for this important work.  [The photo above is from UCR's Instagram page.]

Intern Toxicologist Position at Tesla for Spring 2026

 The email below from Sanket Gadhia was forwarded on to me by ETOX alumnus Andrew Olaharski. I looks like a very good opportunity for a student interested in applied toxicology or industrial hygiene.   

From Sanket Gandhi: My team within the Global Environment Health and Safety (EHS) at Tesla is seeking an intern for Spring 2026.

This position offers a valuable opportunity to gain hands-on industry experience in Toxicology and Industrial Hygiene (IH). Interns will have the chance to lead their own projects and learn the fundamentals of IH sampling, hazard identification, human health assessments, and hazard communication. Additionally, interns will participate in group meetings.

Required qualifications and skills:

- Currently attending an accredited university for a Bachelor's or Graduate degree in biology, chemistry, toxicology, or a related field (expected graduation date of May 2026 or later).

- Eligibility to work in the United States.

• Excellent communication skills.

A strong desire for a career in Toxicology and/or Industrial Hygiene.

Interested applicants can reach out to me at sgadhia@tesla.com and should attach a copy of their resume.

Application deadline: 10-Dec-2025