The Department of Occupational and Environmental Health has active research programs focused on protecting the health of workers, communities, and ecosystems by identifying, assessing, and controlling exposure to hazardous agents in the environment.
Specific research interests of the faculty include:
- Integrating artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning into occupational and environmental health fields.
- Studying air pollutants and their climate effects using atmospheric dynamic models
- Assessment of aerosols and bioaerosols in multiple environments
- Development and assessment of respiratory protection for use during a pandemic
- Improving exposure assessment techniques for organic vapors using novel sorbents and a novel desorption technique (PhotoThermal Desorption)
- Improved methods for assessing vaping aerosol and environmental tobacco smoke exposures
- Evaluating the relationship between occupational and environmental exposure to specific contaminants and adverse health effects, especially in relation to certain chronic diseases in industries including firefighting, agriculture, and mining
- Comprehensive exposure assessment methodologies that design data interpretation and develop mathematical models of exposure
- Biomarker assessment, exposure-associated microbiome and epigenetics