Prof. Maggie Curras-Collazo to Serve on the Governing Council of the IRPS

Maggie Currie-Collazo, professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and ETOX faculty member, has recently been selected to serve on the governing council of the International Regulatory Peptide Society.  Her appointment will continue until 2029.  More information on Maggie's appointment and her ideas for the society can be found on the society's website.  Our congratulations to Maggie for this recognition and service to her society. My thanks to the ETOX mini-graduate student association for alerting me to this appointment on their new Instagram account.  

Meetings with ETOX Alumni in Sacramento

Last week during my one-day trip to Sacramento to attend a Carcinogen Identification Committee meeting I was able to have dinner with ETOX alumni Sharada Balakrishnan and Tom (Lok Ming) Tam (see photo above).  They are both working at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and seem to be doing well.  In the morning, I also was able to visit for a few minutes with ETOX alumni Eric Kwok (at the Department of Pesticide Regulation) and Vanessa Cheng (at Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment).  

Prof. Julia Bailey-Serres Again Identified as a Highly Cited Researcher

Prof. Julia Bailey-Serres, Distinguished Professor of Botany and Plant Sciences and ETOX faculty member, has once again been recognized as a 2025 Highly Cited Researcher 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 the the Inside UCR website, those selecting the award recipients "looked not just at how often their work is cited by other researchers, but also at strong evidence, both quantitative and qualitative, that their discoveries are helping shape the direction of science, technology, and higher education." Our congratulations to Julia and the five other UC Riverside faculty selected for inclusion on the list this year.  

Nicole Sparks Receives Major NIH Award

Nicole Sparks, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the UC Irvine and ETOX alumna has received a prestigious $1.9 million Outstanding Investigator Award (MIRA, R35) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to investigate epigenetic and molecular pathways underlying developmental disorders.  It is anticipated that her research will provide insights in how stem cells can be used to repair or regenerate damaged tissue.  More information on Nicole's research and the award can be found on the UC Irvine Public Health website. Our congratulations to Nicole on this impressive award and its recognition of the potential of her ideas and research.  

Theodore Hullar, UC Riverside’s 5th Chancellor and Environmental Toxicologist, Dies at 90

Theodore Hullar, UC Riverside’s 5th chancellor and an environmental toxicologist passed away on Sept. 28, 2025 at 90 years of age. Prior to coming to UCR, Dr. Hullar had been an environmental toxicologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and later served as director of Cornell University’s Agricultural Experiment Station. While he was at UC Riverside, he supported the establishment of our Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program.  In 1987, he left UC Riverside to become the Chancellor at UC Davis and was a member of the Environmental Toxicology Department on that campus.  More information about his life can be found in a UCR News article and in an article in the Sacramento Bee.  [The photo above is from the Sacramento Bee article.]

Toxicologist Positions in the California EPA and the Department of Pesticide Regulation

The California EPA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) are searching for candidates to fill multiple positions at the two agencies.  The DPR is searching for a Supervising Toxicologist (Human Health Assessment Branch Chief) and an Associate Toxicologist.  Both are located primarily in Sacramento, California and have an application deadline of October 15 and 30. The CalEPA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is also searching for a Senior Toxicologist (Chief of the Cancer Toxicology and Epidemiology Section) and several Cancer Toxicologists. The location for these is more flexible and applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.  More information on these positions can be on the CalCareers Website using the keyword toxicologist. 

I might mention that we have numerous alumni working at these two agencies and they seem to be content with their positions and opportunities.  

Lillian Tran Wins NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Lillian Tran, a current ETOX graduate student, has been awarded a three year Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The award will support her research on the environmental impacts of PFAS thermal treatment and transformation.  Our congratulations to Lillian for this nice award and recognition of her research ideas.