ckassotis

Following college, I worked as an analytical chemist in NJ for several years before coming back to graduate school to pursue a PhD. I've had a long-term interest in endocrine disruptors - chemicals that can interfere with how hormones normally act in the body. My particular interest is in mixtures of these chemicals and how the presence of many chemicals can result in unexpected outcomes. My PhD work has focused on the process of hydraulic fracturing or fracking (the current method for producing natural gas/oil) and the endocrine disrupting chemicals used in this process. My goals include: understanding whether these chemicals are contaminating water sources, assessing which hormone receptors they may interact with, and ultimately working to determine potential adverse health effects associated with exposure to these chemicals.

July 2013