Professors Bailey-Serres and Talbot are Recognized as Highly Cited Researchers for 2023

Again, Environmental Toxicology Program faculty members Prof. Prue Talbot and Julia Bailey-Serres, have been recognized by being selected for the 2023 Highly Cited Researcher list compiled by Clarivate Analytics.  The list contains the researchers who have published multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science.  According to Clarivate Analytics, they are also considered to be in the top 0.1% of scientists. More information can be found on the Inside UCR website. Our congratulations to both Prue and Julia for again receiving this nice recognition.

Prof. Martinez' Research Identifies New MYC Oncogene Signaling Mechanism

Ernest Martinez, Professor of Biochemistry and ETOX faculty member, along with a team of UCR and other researchers has identified a new MYC signaling mechanism, MYC lysine-acetylation, that activates genes that transform mammary cells and drives the tumor-enhancing functions of MYC.  Their research has recently been published in the journal Genes & Development and highlighted in UCR News.  Our congratulations to Ernest and his collaborators for this recognition of their research.  [The figure above is from their Genes & Development article.]

Chromatin Regulator that Mediates Retrovirus Silencing Identified by Prof. Song and Fellow Researchers

Jikui Song, Professor of Biochemistry and ETOX faculty member, and Jiuwei Lua, a research scientist working in his laboratory, working as part of a larger research group have recently identified TNRC18 as a regulator that mediates retrovirus silencing through trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9.  Their work has recently been published in the prestigious journal Nature.  Our congratulations to Jikui, Jiuwei and their collaborators for this nice recognition of their research. [The figure above is from their Nature article.]

Environmental Toxicology Faculty Lead in Solving Important PFAS Contamination Problems

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), widely used in industrial and consumer products, have become a major environmental and public health concern.  They are known as forever chemicals because their fluorine carbon bonds are strong and extremely resistant to degradation.  Four ETOX faculty, Jinyong Liu, Haizhou Liu and Yujie Men, professors of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Ying-Hsuan Lin, a professor of Environmental Sciences, are making significant progress in identifying chemical and microbiological processes that can degrade PFAS and clean up contaminated industrial sites and water.  The work of these faculty and their research teams have been highlighted in a recent article in the Fall 2023 edition of UCR Magazine.  Our congratulations to Jinyong, Haizhou, Yujie and Ying-Hsuan and their research groups for this recognition of their important work. 

[The figure above is from the Riverside Public Utility website.]

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Toxicology at Woods Hole

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is searching to fill an NIEHS-funded postdoctoral fellow position in molecular toxicology investigating the comparative biology, ligand specificity, and molecular evolution of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates the response of humans and other animals to endogenous and exogenous chemicals. The successful candidate will work under the mentorship of Drs. Mark Hahn, Sibel Karchner, and Jed Goldstone at Woods Hole and Dr. Joe Thornton at the University of Chicago.  More information about the position can be found here.  Our thanks to ETOX faculty member David Volz for informing us about the position.  [The image above is from the Aryl hydrocarbon receptor entry on Wikipedia.]

Professor Yinsheng Wang, his Research Group and Collaborators Make Discovery of Mechanism Underlying Huntington's Disease

Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and ETOX faculty member Yinsheng Wang, his collaborators and his research group that included four current and former ETOX graduate students (Jiekai Yin, Yuxiang Cui, Gwendolyn Gonzalez, and Jun Yuan) have recently uncovered a new mechanism that indicates that RNA methylation on CAG repeats plays a role in Huntington’s disease. Their work was recently published in the journal Nature.  More information on their research can be found in a UCR News article.  Our congratulations to Yinsheng, Jiekai, Yuxiang, Gwendolyn and Jun for this interesting and groundbreaking article.  [The figure above is from their Nature article.]

Prof. Mirhi Ozkan Investigates Carbon-Capturing Materials

A research team led by Dr. Mihri Ozkan, a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an ETOX faculty member, has recently conducted an exhaustive analysis of extremely thin MXene and MBene compounds, which because of their large surface area, have the potential to absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  If their research continues to be successful, these compounds will help reduce the harmful effects associated with climate change by safely capturing carbon dioxide. Their work has recently been published in the journal Chem and was the focus of a UCR News article. Our congratulations to Mihri and her collaborators for their innovative and impactful research.  [The figure above is from their Chem article.]