UCR Hosts Symposium on Tobacco-related Disease Research

On Friday, Oct. 29, UCR hosted a mini-symposium to highlight recent tobacco-related disease research. The symposium was organized by Drs. Yinsheng Wang, Prue Talbot of UCR and Kamlesh Asotra of the Tobacco-related Disease Research Program. I was not able to attend but but I understand that it was very successful. Below are pictures of a number of ETOX faculty and students in attendance.

Dr. Yinsheng Wang, director of the ETOX program, introducing one of the speakers.

Dr. Nicole zur Nieden presenting her research on the effects of tobacco smoke on stem cells.

Monique Williams, a first year graduate student working in Dr. Prue Talbot's lab.

A photo of the symposium participants.

ETOX Well Represented at SCCSOT Meeting

On Friday October 8 the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Toxicology held its annual meeting on the UCLA campus. The UCR Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program was well represented with seven current students, one faculty member and one alumna in attendance. The theme of the meeting was "Advancing the Science of Carcinogenicity Risk Assessement" and Dr. David Eastmond gave one of the presentations. His talk was entitled, "Perspectives on Contemporary Issues Involving Genotoxicity Testing and Regulatory Decision-making". A special congratulation goes to Ashley Swanson whose poster was selected for the first place award in the student poster competition. Shown in the photo from the left are Pavan Gollapudi (in back), Minh Vuong, Kristi Capsel, Si Bui, and Ashley Swanson. In attendance but not photographed were Anna Martin, Neeti Riar, Dr. Sharada Balakrishnan (alumna) and Dr. David Eastmond (faculty).

ETOX Program Ranks High in the Recent NRC Graduate Program Evaluation

UCR's Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program did quite well in the ranking of U.S. graduate programs that was recently published by the National Research Council. In the evaluation, twenty parameters were considered based largely on the 2005-06 academic year and the preceding 5 year period. The results are presented as ranges and the following summaries are based on the S-ranking data compiled by the UCR Graduate Division. Among the programs in the area of pharmacology, toxicology and environmental health, the ETOX Program ranked 29th of 115 which falls in upper 25%. Among the 27 programs with an emphasis in toxicology (based on the program name), our program ranked 5th. This is a nice recognition of the efforts of the students, faculty and administration who have contributed to the program over the years. Direct comparisons of specific programs can be made by using the Chronicle of Higher Education's interactive tool that can be found here.

Senior Ecotoxicologist Position at FMC

Below is an email that was recently received by one of our students.

I am seeking a solid ecotoxicologist, preferably with avian or terrestrial expertise, to help develop and defend agricultural products. The position is located at FMC Corporation’s R&D Center situated in Ewing, NJ. This individual will design, manage, and participate in scientific work under FIFRA and GLPS and have an opportunity to publish and present with CRO’s at major conferences. One’s efforts will be fairly evenly invested between two key areas:

• Overseeing new studies conducted by contract labs across all aspects of ecotoxicology to ensure high quality science, and
• Providing information for regulatory agencies, customers and FMC personnel, including white papers, product defenses, reports and more.

FMC is one of the worlds’ foremost, diversified chemical companies with leading positions in agricultural, industrial and consumer markets. Not only are we on a strong growth trajectory with double-digit growth, but our philosophy is one of constant evolution.

I invite you to read an insightful description of the opportunity. It includes information like:

What makes this a great opportunity for the right person?
The nuts and bolts of the of the job
Keys to success
More information about FMC Corporation

Please let me know if someone whom you believe may have the required experience would like to be considered for this career opportunity. For your convenience, I pasted the link to the job description at the bottom of this message. There is a link to apply if someone is interested. I encourage them to reach out to me should they have any questions.

Kind regards,

Kate Davis
Sourcing Partner
FMC Corporation
562-472-0707
kdavis@dtoolbox.com

Link to the job description.

Postdoctoral position in pharmacokinetics at LLNL

Dr. Ken Turteltaub recently contacted me to let me know about the postdoctoral position summarized below.

The Postdoctoral Pharmacology Researcher will study how pharmacokinetics and ADME properties are affected by the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles using techniques including accelerator mass spectrometry. As a Postdoc under the Battelle Center for Fundamental and Applied Systems Toxicology (B-FAST) you will be involved in collaborative research with scientists from Battelle and several of the National Laboratories we manage/co-manage, and potentially with other members of the public and private sectors. We envision our collaboration to result in the development of the science and tools that will transform the way safety science and toxicology testing are practiced today.

THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION:
• Recent PhD in a relevant scientific field i.e., pharmacology, toxicology, biochemistry, chemistry • Demonstrated hands-on experience with various animal models with demonstrated ability to innovate research models
• Prior experience conducting protocol driven research in biologic matrices • Experience working effectively in an interactive, matrixed environment, working with toxicologists, physiologists and chemists toward a common endpoint
• Proven ability to assimilate information quickly and apply knowledge to a broad array of novel situations

To apply for this position, please visit our corporate website www.battelle.org/careers, create a personal profile, upload a CV and apply to requisition number 18273.

For more information, please contact:

Kenneth W. Turteltaub, Ph.D
Chief Biomedical Scientist
Physical and Life Sciences Directorate; L-452
Program Leader - Biomedical Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
7000 East Avenue
Livermore, CA 94550
turteltaub2@llnl.gov
Ph: 925.423.8152
Fax: 925.422.2282

Ecotoxicologist positions at BASF

ETOX alumna Dr. Melinda Bigelow Dyk contacted me to let me know of two exotoxicologist positions that are available at BASF at their Research Triangle Park, NC facility. Brief summaries of the two positions are below.

Senior Ecotoxicologist
BASF Agricultural Solutions is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Senior Ecotoxicologist. The candidate will provide ecotoxicology expertise for the maintenance and development of agricultural chemical products. Duties will include the determination of ecotoxicology data requirements, the monitoring of contracted studies and the evaluation of product safety based on study results. The emphasis is on support for North American registrations, however, the individual will also have worldwide support responsibilities for specific products.

Education/Qualifications:
Minimum Required: MS Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology, Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments -OR- PhD Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology, Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments.
Desired: Ph.D. Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology, Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments for agricultural products.

Ecotoxicologist
BASF Agricultural Solutions is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Ecotoxicologist. The candidate will provide ecotoxicology expertise for the maintenance and development of agricultural chemical products. Duties will include the determination of ecotoxicology data requirements, the monitoring of contracted studies and the evaluation of product safety based on study results. The emphasis is on support for North American registrations, however, the individual will also have worldwide support responsibilities for specific products.

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:
Minimum Required: MS Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments -OR- BS Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology or related field with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments.
Desired: Ph.D Degree in Environmental Science, Wildlife Toxicology or related field with 0-4 years of relevant experience with ecotoxicology testing and ecological risk assessments for agricultural products.

For more information, please contact Melinda at melindauncw@hotmail.com.

ETOX members at Nationals game

On July 27, members of the National Center for Environmental Assessment at the EPA went to watch the Washington Nationals play the Atlanta Braves. Several program members were in attendance. Below are pictures from the event.

Si Bui who is interning at the EPA this summer.

ETOX alumna Catherine Gibbons who works in the IRIS program.

David Eastmond who was visiting the EPA in a photo shoot with George W., a local dignitary.