Trainee Dr. Robert Root Receives Post-Doctoral Fellowship
June 3, 2012
Dr. Robert Root, a University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) post-doctoral trainee working under the mentorship of UA SRP investigator Dr. Jon Chorover, recently received an NIH T32 Toxicology Training Grant Postdoctoral Fellowship. This is an institutional training grant funded by the National Institutes of Health, and administered through the UA’s Center for Toxicology in the College of Pharmacy. The fellowship offers one year of support, with the potential for extension.
Dr. Root’s proposed studies will examine the relationship between molecular speciation and bioavailability of arsenic in geo-dusts deriving from mine tailings Superfund sites in Arizona. It is a collaborative, interdisciplinary project that will incorporate the expertise of multiple SRP investigators as co-advisors, and incorporate expertise on molecular mechanisms of toxicology as well as environmental exposure assessment. Experiments will involve collecting arsenic-laden airborne dusts and measuring the kinetics of contaminant release in synthetic bio-fluids (lung and gastric fluid) under in vitro conditions, followed by spectroscopic analysis of arsenic speciation in pre- and post-extraction products. It is expected that the use of spectroscopic, thermodynamic and kinetic tools of environmental geochemistry can be effectively used to contribute to a molecular-level understanding of exposure assessment.
Dr. Root hopes that his proposed research “will work to bridge the disciplines of toxicology and environmental science, and enable significant improvements in human health risk assessment.”
Please join the UA SRP in offering Rob our congratulations!