Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Most years at this time, I have posted photos of Christmas lights, typically from Riverside.  This year, I am in Salt Lake City, Utah and thought I would post some photos of the Christmas lights in the Temple Square area, including the last one the includes the Salt Lake City Temple.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I hope the coming year is a fulfilling one for you. 

Toxicology Positions at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products

The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products is soliciting applications to fill a number of toxicologist positions in their Beltsville, Maryland offices.  The open date is from Dec. 13, 2019 to May 13, 2020.  More information about the positions and how to apply can be found here. Our thanks for ETOX alumnus, Wanyoike Kang'ethe, for calling our attention to this opportunity. 

Nicole Sparks speaks in SOT webinar

 ETOX alumna and UC Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow, Nicole Sparks, recently spoke and participated in the Society of Toxicology Diversity and Inclusiveness Webinar series: Active Inclusivity in Toxicology.  Her webinar was entitled, "Obstacles Faced by Underrepresented Groups and Solutions to Ameliorate Them".  Nicole shared some of her experiences and her perspectives.  The webinar can be found here.  Our congratulations to Nicole for this recognition and her willingness to help others. 

Prof. Julia Bailey-Serres and Qi Chen Recognized as Highly Cited Researchers

Distinguished Professor Julia Bailey-Serres and Assistant Professor Qi Chen, both ETOX faculty members, were recently recognized as being among the most highly cited researchers by Clarivate Analytics; They were ranked in the top 1% of those cited in their respective fields.  Our congratulations  to Julia and Qi for this impressive recognition.  More information can be found at the UCR News webpage here. 

Jeff Perry Receives Grant to Study Drug to Fight Breast Cancer

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and ETOX faculty member, Jeff Perry, recently received a grant from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs of the U.S. Department of Defense to study AOH1160, a drug discovered at the City of Hope Medical Center that selectively kills cancer cells through targeting proliferating cell nuclear antigen.  More information on Dr. Perry's research and the award can be found in the UCR News webpage here.  We congratulate Jeff on this award and wish him success in his research.  [Photo is from the UCR News webpage.]

Toxicologist Position for Recent Graduates at the USEPA

The US Environmental Protection Agency has positions for recent graduates at their Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina.  These are entry-level developmental positions for US citizens which, if the candidates succeed, will lead to long-term more permanent positions.  More information can be found here.  

Toxicologist position with EPA in Chicago

The U.S. EPA is searching for a toxicologist to work in its Region 5 office in Chicago Illinois.  The position is open to US. citizens with a bachelor's degree or higher.  It has a closing date of Nov. 14, 2019.  More information can be found here. 

Faculty Position in Pesticide Safety and Risk Assessment

The University of Maryland, College Park is seeking applications for a faculty position in the Department of Entomology. We particularly encourage applications from those with interests in pesticide safety, including traditional, organic, and genetically engineered pest controls, environmental impacts, regulatory issues, human health effects, or related topics. For best consideration, apply by November 15, 2019. Application information at: https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/73515
 

USEPA toxicologist position in San Francisco

The US Environmental Protection Agency is searching for toxicologist/microbiologist/chemist to work in its Superfund and Emergency Management Division, Tribal Land Cleanup and Remedial Support Branch, Site Assessment and Technical Support Section. The position will be located in San Francisco and has a Oct. 9, 2019 closing date.  More information can be found here. 

Article by Talbot and Williams on Metals in eCigarette Vapor Highlighted

A recent article by Monique Williams, an ETOX alumna, Jun Li and Prue Talbot, an ETOX faculty member, on metals found in eCigarette vapor, has recently been published in the journal Scientific Reports and has been highlighted in a UCR News article as well as an article on the Forbes website.  Our congratulations to Monique, Jun and Prue for this recognition of their research.  Photo is from UC Riverside's website. 

Dinner at the EMGS meeting

Last week we held a dinner for UCR alumni and friends attending the 50th annual meeting of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society in Washington DC.  It was great to see the former students and postdocs.  The above photo is of the gathering.  Shown from the left are Rupa Doppalapudi (SRI International), Henghong Li (Georgetown University), Shambhu Roy (Bioreliance), Elizabeth Eastmond, Catherine Gibbons (EPA), David Eastmond, Pavan Gollapudi (Bioreliance), Bob Sonawane (retired EPA colleague and friend). 

Positions at EPA at many locations

EPA's Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment is searching for many positions at 9 different locations across the U.S.  These are limited to U.S. citizens and the closing date is October 8, 2019.  More information can be found here. 

zur Nieden and Volz reccieve EPA grant

Nicole zur Nieden and David Volz, professors in the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, were recently awarded am $850,000 grant from the USEPA to help reduce the use of animal testing.  As described in the UCR News article, "The UC Riverside project, led by zur Nieden, will stimulate human pluripotent stem cells, which have the capacity to develop into any sort of cell, with agents that direct them to form bone cells. The cells will pass through the same developmental stages and be subject to the same molecular cues as in a human embryo. The researchers will expose the cells to selected chemicals at critical junctures, then assess them using advanced imaging and next-generation sequencing techniques."  The broader context for work is referred to in a CNN news story.  The award is also highlighted at the EPA Region 9 news website.  Our congratulations to Nicole and David for this recognition of their ideas and their work. 

Toxicologist position at USEPA

The USEPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention is looking for a toxicologist in its Washington DC office.  More information can be found here. The closing date is Sept. 24, 2019. 

ETOX Students Produce Award Winning Film on Water

A film produced by a group of NSF IGERT Fellows including Scott Coffin, Stacia Dudley and Sam Patton, ETOX graduate students, worked with Meredith Hillbrand, a Gluck Fellow to produce a short educational film entitled, "Getting to know H2O,".  The film won 1st place in the "Water's Impact on People" category and 2nd place overall in a competition sponsored by the Committee on Environmental Improvement at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting this week.  More information on the award and a link to the film can be found on the Inside UCR webpage.  Our congratulations to the fellows for this nice recognition.  Scott Coffin and Stacia Dudley completed their PhD degrees this past year.  [The photo is from the Inside UCR article.]

Danielle Stevenson Awarded FFAR Fellowship

Danielle Stevenson, a PhD student in the ETOX program working with Samantha Ying, has recently been awarded a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellowship.  The FFAR program provides mentoring to early career scientists from both academic institutions and the private sector to help them develop into future leaders in the food and agriculture industries.  More information about Danielle's research plans and the fellowship can be found at the FFAR website here and here as well a the UCR CNAS website.  Our congratulations to Danielle for this nice recognition. 

EPA Positions available

The EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of Pesticide Programs(OPP), Pesticide Re-evaluation Division (PRD) is searching for toxicologists and other biologists.  The deadline for applications is August 23 and August 20, 2019.  More information can be found here and here. 

Position for Lead Environmental Toxicologist - Specialty Chemicals

I received the following information from recent alum Sara Vliet. It is from the Leyden Group, a search firm that specializes in safety and regulatory affairs. 

Our client company is a global leader in the development of specialty chemistry for the consumer product and pharmaceutical industries. Due to emerging environmental and safety assessment regulations, the company has engaged us to find the person who will lead their efforts in aquatic toxicology, environmental fate, environmental risk assessment and related science.

A Ph.D. level scientist with three of more years of applied, regulatory toxicology in the aquatic, environmental and risk assessment realm is sought. Specific experience with an industry affected by USEPA registration requirements is strongly desired.

The person hired for this newly created role will manage and recommend testing programs for toxicology and environmental fate, conduct environmental risk assessments and be active (both internally and externally) on matters pertaining to new product development and existing product defense, ensuring the company’s commitment to safe and sustainable products.

The position will report to the company’s Director of Toxicology and Product Safety and work from the company’s offices in the Northeast US.

Confidential information about this opportunity is available from Mr. Terry Leyden, President, The Leyden Group, Inc. Phone (303) 865-2897. E-mail: terry@leydengroup.com

Faculty position in Public Health - Environmental Health Sciences at UC Merced

The Public Health Department at the University of California, Merced is searching for a faculty member in Public Health with an emphasis on Environmental Health Sciences.  This is an open position that can be filled at the assistant, associate or full professor rank.  The search is broad but they hope that the candidate will have an interest in exposure science and toxins.  Applications are due by Oct. 1, 2019.  More information can be found here. 

Two Toxicologist Positions with California Department of Pesticide Regulation

I received the following message from Shelly DuTeaux of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.  A link to apply is below.

We have two Associate Toxicologists vacancies in the Human Health Assessment Branch of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation [salary range = $6050 - 8259/mo]. 
The first position is in our Product Formulation Section (PFS) which focuses on toxicology data evaluation to determine potential hazards to human health and adequacy of product labels in identifying human health hazards. The work is challenging, with new in vitro toxicity testing methodologies to review and innovative product formulations, chemistry, and applications. The job posting is at https://jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=165546 

The second position is for pesticide exposure assessment, with an emphasis on the principles of toxicology, biomathematics, and database sciences. The scientist will be involved in evaluating and interpreting a full range of data including controlled occupational and non-occupational human exposure studies, biomonitoring studies, and evaluation of dermal and inhalation absorption. The job posting is at  https://jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=165477  

We pride ourselves in cutting edge analysis of pesticide impacts on human health. Recent California decisions, including the proposed cancellation of chlorpyrifos, are based on work done within the branch. We offer a collegial, diverse, and challenging work environment that promotes individual thought, problem-solving, and critical analysis. Contribute to our mission of protecting public health and the environment, and be part of a team that affects real change in California and beyond.

Toxicologist position with State of Washington

From its posting, the Toxics Cleanup Program (TCP) at the Washington State Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Human Health Toxicologist (Toxicologist 3) position. The position will be located in Lacey, WA.

The Human Health Toxicologist position supports TCP's strategic goal to clean up contaminated sites:
Implement the cleanup process so sites get cleaned up.
Improve the cleanup process so sites get cleaned up more efficiently.
Support site manager decision-making through guidance and tools.

They are looking for applicants with a customer service focus, the toxicological expertise and practical experience in contaminated site cleanup to provide technical assistance to internal and external entities managing contaminated site cleanups, and an ability to develop relationships and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

More information can be found here. 

Toxicologist position in Maine's Environmental and Occupational Health Program

Maine’s Environmental and Occupational Health Program is searching for a toxicologist/human health risk assessor.  More information can be found here (use Toxicologist as a search term).  The closing date for this position is August 9. 

Toxicologist Positions at USEPA

The US EPA's Integrated Risk Information System within its National Center for Environmental Assessment, in the Office of Office of Research and Development is searching for biologists/toxicologists to work in its Washington DC, Cincinnati, OH or Research Triangle Park offices.  This position is focused on recent graduates with experience or advanced degrees.  More information can be found here .  The closing date is July 17, 2019.

There is another announcement that has been posted describing additional positions that are available in the IRIS program.  More information can be found here.  The deadline for this announcement is July 18, 2019.

Professor Talbot's Research also Highlighted

Two different areas of the research of Professor Prue Talbot, professor of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and Environmental Toxicology faculty member, have been highlighted in UCR News online.  One describes how electronic cigarette components are able to damage neural stem cells.  The first author is Atena Zahedi who recently completed her PhD in Bioengineering.  Ester Omaiye, a current ETOX graduate student also contributed to the work.  More information on the study with a link to the article can be found here. 

The second highlighted article describes how exposure to third-hand smoke can change the gene expression in nasal epithelial cells of humans.  The first author was Giovanna Pozuelos, a CMDB graduate student. Professor Dave Volz, another Environmental Toxicology faculty member, also helped with the research.  More information with a link to the original article can be found here. 

Dr. Gill's Research Highlighted in UCR News

The research of Sarjeet Gill, Distinguished Professor of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and Environmental Toxicology faculty member, on a bacterial toxin that specifically targets Anopheles mosquitoes has recently been published in Nature Communications, and has been highlighted in UCR News online.  The studies took place over a 10-year period and involved a number of researchers including ETOX alumna Swati Chawla when she was a graduate student in Sarjeet's lab.  Our congratulations to Sarjeet, Swati and the other co-authors on the paper for this achievement.  The above illustration is from the Nature Communications article and shows a superposition of the newly identified PMP1 crystal structure and that of the botulinum toxin. 

Toxicologist position with Michigan Department of the Environment

The Michigan Department of the Environment is looking for a toxicologist to work in their Remediation and Redevelopment Division in Lansing, Michigan.  More information can be found here.  My thanks to Efrem Neuwirth for the information. 

Toxicologist position at DTSC office in Berkeley, California

The Department of Toxic Substances Control within the California EPA is searching for a staff toxicologist to work in their Berkeley, CA office.    The original closing date for applications was June 12.  It has now been extended to July 19, 2019.  More information can be found here.  My thanks to Efrem Neuwirth for letting me know of the extension.

2019 Annual Student Symposium

On Tuesday June 18, the Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program held its annual student symposium.  It was a fine event that highlighted the research of 33 students and 1 postdoctoral fellow.  Seven first year student presentations were also made during the weekly seminar series in late May and early June. Sam Patton won the Fukuto award for best presentation as well as the Student's Choice Award.  Ester Omaiye, Vanessa Cheng and David Bade were honorable mentions. Philip Tanabe and Edward Dominguez received the best 1st year student presentation awards.  Our congratulations to the award winners and a special thanks to the organizing committee and all who helped make this an outstanding and memorable event. Below are a series of photos of the event. My thanks to Jin Chen for sending me the photos of the event. 

Sam Patton, the Fukuto Award winner with Prof. Ying-Hsuan Lin, the Faculty Chair of the Symposium Committee

Ester Omaiye, Vanessa Cheng and David Bade, honorable mentions with Prof. Lin

 Eddie Dominguez, winner of the best 1st year student presentation with Prof. Lin

Sam Patton, winner of the Student's Choice Award with Tori McGruer, the Student Chair of the Symposium Committee

 Antonio Knox, student affairs officer with Crystal Hua and Ester Omaiye

 

Water Biologist position in Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles is looking for a Water Biologist to work within its Toxicity Unit of its Water Monitoring Division.  More information can be found here.  The closing date is July 8, 2019. 

Toxicologist positions at USEPA

The US EPA's Health Effects Division within its Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, in the Office of Pesticide Programs is searching for several biologist/toxicologists to work in its Arlington, VA office.  The successful candidate will be using animal data to assess the human health effects of pesticides.  More information can be found here.  The closing date is July 12, 2019.

Toxicologist and Risk Assessor Position at New Jersey Department of Environmental Health

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Health is looking to fill a toxicologist/risk assessor position in their office in Trenton, New Jersey.  According to the job description, the research scientist “will conduct and assist in studies involving toxicology, risk assessment and public health/environmental health. Will conduct human health risk assessments from the primary toxicological and exposure literature in support of standard and guideline setting for toxic chemicals; evaluate health impact of existing and emerging environmental conditions and contaminants; manage and participate in external research on exposure and health hazard; advise on scientific policy; and participate in the Division’s management of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Science Advisory Board.”  More information can be found here.  The closing date is July 3, 2019. 

Commencement Photos of ETOX Graduates

Below are photos (screen shots) of several ETOX students who graduated this year.  Our congratulations to each of them as well as those who didn't participate in commencement ceremonies.

Lauren Walker speaks at UCR Commencement

Lauren Walker who is completing her PhD in Nicole zur Nieden's lab, was selected to speak on behalf of the graduate students at UCR's Graduate Commencement Ceremony that was held on June 1.  Our congratulations to Lauren for this nice honor and recognition.  Below are a couple of photos from the event.  Here is a link to the ceremony on YouTube.  If if works properly, Lauren's talk begins at 24 min. 15 sec.  

Toxicologist position at DTSC office in Berkeley, California

The Department of Toxic Substances Control within the California EPA is searching for a staff toxicologist to work in their Berkeley, CA office.  The Staff Toxicologist is expected to "independently provide expert scientific support in the areas of toxicology, human and/or ecological risk assessment and exposure assessment, along with a variety of more difficult tasks directly related to toxicology and risk assessment".  The closing date for applications is June 12, 2019.  More information can be found here.  My thanks to Efrem Neuwirth for letting me know of the opening. 

Nice Spring Weather

 Above is a photo of campus from the HUB on a nice spring day earlier this week. 

Cindy Larive appointed Chancellor at UC Santa Cruz

Provost Cindy Larive, Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology faculty member and valued colleague, has been appointed as the 11th Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz.  More information can be found at the University of California press release.  We congratulate Cindy for this honor and recognition and wish her the best of success in her new position. I might mention that Cindy is the 2nd Chancellor within the University of California who has a notable connection to environmental toxicology.  The first was Ted Hullar who served as Chancellor at UC Riverside (1985-87) and UC Davis (1987-94) and was a member of the Environmental Toxicology faculty at UC Davis. 

Sabbir Ahmed wins Audience Choice Award at UCR's Grad Slam competition

ETOX student Sabbir Ahmed recently competed against more than 50 UCR graduate students in the Grad Slam Competition.  The Grad Slam is a UC-sponsored speaking competition in which a student is given 3 minutes to explain his or her research to a general audience.  Sabbir's presentation was entitled, "Traffic-related Particulate Matter: A Tiny Player Plays Big on Disease Progression".  He was among the 8 finalists and was selected for the Audience Choice Award.  He is shown above holding the ribbon with Emma Wilson, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division.  More about the event can be found at the Grad Division's Grad Slam website including a link to the Sabbir's presentation.  Our congratulations to Sabbir for this award and recognition.

Lauren Walker featured prominently on SOT website

 Lauren Walker, a current ETOX student working with Prof. Nicole zur Nieden, has been actively involved with the Society of Toxicology for a number of years.  Last year she was recognized as the Outstanding Student Representative by the Graduate Student Leadership Committee of the SOT.  One additional note, her photo is featured prominently on the SOT website.  It can be seen both here and here.  It is great to see Lauren get recognition for her service. [The photo above is from the SOT website and Lauren is wearing the orange sweater.]

Virunya Bhat elected to SOT Council

Virunya Bhat, ETOX Alumna and senior scientist at NSF International, was recently elected to the SOT Council, the governing body for the Society of Toxicology.  The 13 member council governs the Society of Toxicology which, with 7800 members, is the largest toxicology society in the world.  Virunya's term starts today and will continue until 2022.  More information on Virunya and the SOT council can be found here. 

Hwang-Verslues seminar at UC Riverside

Dr. Wendy Hwang-Verslues, an ETOX alumna who is currently an Assistant Research Fellow in the Genomics Research Center at the Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan, came to campus on April 1st and presented a seminar on her ongoing research on breast cancer pathways.  The seminar entitled,  "Mechanisms underlying breast tumorigenesis -- Old concepts, new stories" was excellent and described a couple of avenues of research that her laboratory is pursuing.  Above is a recent photo of Wendy.  
-->

Shuo Liu presents seminar at UCR

 Today, Shuo Liu, an ETOX alumna, visited UCR and presented a seminar as part of the ETOX seminar series.  Her talk was entitled,  “METTL13 methylation of eEF1A increases translational output to promote tumorigenesis” and described her work that was recently published in the journal Cell.  The work is impressive and Shuo made a nice presentation.  Below is a photo of Shuo from the seminar.

Toxicologist position at the California Department of Pesticide Regulations

The California Department of Pesticide Regulations is looking to hire a new Associate Toxicologist.  The position requires a PhD or a Masters and 3 years of experience. The following URL provides more information and the links for submitting an application.

https://jobs.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=136695

 Our thanks to Shelley Du Teaux, the Chief for the Human Health Assessment Branch at CDPR who shared the information with us. 

Toxicologist positions at US Environmental Protection Agency

The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics at the USEPA is searching for toxicologists as well as other life and physical scientists.  More information is below and can be found at this link.  

Title	Biologist/Toxicologist/Physical Scientist/Chemist
Series & Grades Announced	GS-0401/0415/1301/1320-12/13
Full Performance Level	13
Location of Position	Washington, DC
Area of Consideration	U.S. Citizens
Position Type	Full-Time, Permanent
Opening Date	Thursday, April 11, 2019
Closing Date	Thursday, April 18, 2019
Number of Vacancies:	Many
Position Risk Designation	Moderate Risk

For questions regarding this job opportunity, you can also contact Sherron Gardner on 800-433-9633 or gardner.sherron@epa.gov.

Omaiye and Talbot Research Published in Chemical Research in Toxicology and Featured in UCR Today

The research of Ester Omaiye, Prof. Prue Tabot and their collaborators has been featured in a recent news release in UCR News.  In the related article published in Chemical Research in Toxicology,  Ester and her colleagues showed that Juul electronic cigarette fluids contained high levels of nicotine which correlated with their cytotoxic effects in human bronchial epithelial cells in culture.  We congratulate Ester and Dr. Talbot for this recognition of their work.

Postdoctoral positions at the EPA

The US EPA is looking to fill a number of postdoctoral positions.  If interested, please see the links below.

NCEA-04-03-2019-01

Environmental evidence assessments and evaluation of ecological and other welfare effects of pollutants 

NCEA-04-03-2019-02

Evaluation of human health effects of chemical exposures 

NCEA-04-03-2019-03

Atmospheric chemistry and air quality evaluations to support human health and environmental science assessments 

NCEA-04-03-2019-04

Tools and Applications for Human Health Risk Assessment: Modeling and Statistical Approaches