University of Alaska Southeast
11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, AK 99801
PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION
University of Idaho, B.S., Chemistry, Moscow, ID, 1985
Florida State University, M.S., Inorganic Chemistry, Tallahassee, FL, 1988
University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry, 1995
US EPA-Ecosystems Research, Athens, GA. Postdoc. Fellow, 8/99-7/01
APPOINTMENTS
8/01-present: Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK.
8/96-5/99: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Manatee Community College, Venice, FL.
1/98- 5/98 Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, New College – University of South Florida, Sarasota, FL.
1991-1995: Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
1988-1991: Research Chemist, Logicon-Ultrasystems Inc., Irvine, CA.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
1986 – present American Chemical Society
AK Local Section Chair: 2004 – 2010
AK Local Section Councilor: 2011 – present
Northwest Region Board Chair: 2020 – 2023
2004 – 2012 International Society of Wetland Scientists
2005 – present Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
2006 – 2010 Atmospheric Monitoring Assessment Program Expert Panel on POPs
Since joining the faculty at the University of Alaska Southeast in 2001, I have had the great fortune to talk about general, organic and/or environmental chemistry almost every day. Great students, staff and exceptional faculty colleagues leave me feeling even luckier. In addition to teaching, I engage in fascinating studies rooted in the unique environment of Alaska.
My research at UAS focuses on the transport, deposition, and attenuation of heavy metal and organic pollutants in high latitude environments. Projects include the speciation of iron, lead, and copper in high organic carbon soils under anaerobic conditions, environmental levels and speciation of tin near ports accommodating large ocean-going vessels, as well as persistent organic pollutants delivered to high latitudes via atmospheric transport. The chemical interactions of these substances with environmental matrices that are ubiquitous in Alaska profoundly influence their mobility and toxicity.
In addition to contaminant studies, I also study habitat remediation and restoration potential of created wetlands with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. All of my research projects at UAS have benefited from the contributions of dedicated undergraduate research assistants.
My 25-year affiliation with the American Chemical Society has provided countless opportunities to build my teaching skills, to meet colleagues, to establish collaborative research projects, and to hone analytical proficiencies. Joining the executive board of the Alaska Local Section has made it much easier to share these and other valuable opportunities with colleagues and students across the state.