News

Professor Andrew Whitehead and his students in the ETOX department are uncovering how brief maternal exposure to crude oil and flame retardants can shape biological outcomes in future generations. Fish exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil exhibited altered neural, cardiac, and skeletal traits in first- and second-generation offspring; in other words, exposure in one generation led to measurable changes in brain, heart, and skeletal development in their descendants.

This winter, Julia Davidson, a second-year Ph.D. student, and Professor Brett Poulin visited the National Synchrotron Light Source II at Brookhaven National Laboratory to conduct research using high-energy X-ray techniques. Working with a team of X-ray physicists, they examined the chemical forms of mercury in a diverse set of samples, including wildlife tissues and mercury-containing skin-lightening creams.

Congratulations to our Award-Winning ETOX seniors: Claire Watson, Jeffrey Aldon, and Terra Schamun!

Claire Watson is this year's Outstanding Senior in Environmental Toxicology. Jeffrey Aldon and Terra Schamun each won awards for Outstanding Performance in Environmental Toxicology. 

This award honors Dr. George Alexeeff, former Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and recognizes graduate students conducting research in environmental health sciences.

Congratulations to Anthony Tercero, winner of the 2025 Matsumura award (one of two) from the Department of Environmental Toxicology at UC Davis. 

This award is in honor of former ETOX professor Dr. Fumio Matsumura.

Congratulations to the UC Davis Environmental Toxicology graduating class of 2025!

You are an exceptional group of scholars, and we - ETOX Faculty and Staff - are so honored that you chose to study with us. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Please keep in touch!

At the 2025 Undergraduate Research Conference at UC Davis, Environmental Toxicology students showcased impactful research on emerging environmental health threats. Lalima Saini presented novel findings on the generation of carcinogenic antimony during e-cigarette use. Terra Schamun assessed heavy metal risks in "Preconception Detox" supplements, revealing lead exposures surpassing California’s Prop 65 limits. Emily Richter explored how climate change may influence methylmercury formation in wetlands. Claire Watson investigated the presence and health risks of PFAS in California seafood.

Environmental Toxicology student Claire Watson serves as a peer advisor in the ETOX major. She has been selected as Peer Advisor recipient of the 2025 Eleanor and Harry Walker Academic Advising Award. This award recognizes her outstanding contributions to Academic Advising in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.