Current Research

Project 1: Harmful algal bloom dynamics: assessing physiological and behavioral plasticity in natural populations

This project’s scientific premise is that our ability to assess and predict short- and long-term responses of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their human health impacts to climate change requires characterization of critical rates and behavioral patterns in natural populations, generated, whenever possible, through in situ observations.

Project 2: Climate forcing of harmful algal blooms and toxicity exposure in the Northeast U.S.

Our goal is to understand and predict how climate variability influences harmful algal bloom (HAB) dynamics, toxin exposure to the human population, and impacts on human health.

Project 3: Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying long-term effects of early life exposure to HAB toxins

The overall objective of the proposed research is to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which early-life exposure to harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins may interfere with neurodevelopment to cause persistent neurobehavioral changes later in life.

Community Engagement Core

The overall objective of the Community Engagement Core (CEC) is to prevent human heath exposure to harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins by strengthening public and stakeholder knowledge about HABs and their impacts, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and bi-directional dialogue with WHCOHH researchers, and improving awareness of HAB issues in public health communities.