Joseph Cichocki
Joseph Cichocki was a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Ivan Rusyn from 2014-2017. Joe was also co-mentored by Drs. Weihsueh Chiu, David Threadgill, and Igor Pogribny (National Center for Toxicological Research). His research was focused on the contribution of genetics and underlying disease state to inter-individual variability in susceptibility to environmental chemical-induced toxicity.
Upon completing his training, Joe joined Alnylam Pharmaceuticals as a Toxicologist in the Early Development group. He transitioned to Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston after a couple of years. Joe is fortunate that his current role also allows him to pursue his research interests, including mechanistic toxicology.
Joe loves spending time outdoors, and in his free time he enjoys hiking with his dog, riding his bike, and running along the Charles River. He also enjoys relaxing weekends with family and friends, especially time spent on Cape Cod with wife, children and their dog.
Joe’s advice to current trainees (including postdocs!) is two-fold. First, develop an excellent foundational understanding of toxicology while at Texas A&M. The program there is truly top-notch and offers many opportunities to learn the basics of toxicology, including exposure assessment, target organ toxicity, and risk assessment. His second piece of advice is never to underestimate the power of networking. Make sure to attend and present at local and regional meetings, get involved with the Society of Toxicology or other professional societies, and apply for travel awards and leadership positions within the Society. While it’s not all about who you know, he speaks from experience that a solid network is invaluable for any professional.
Robert Fuentes
Dr. Natividad Roberto Fuentes Jr., graduated from the program in 2017 under the mentorship of Dr. Robert S. Chapkin. He was also fortunate enough to hold a Regulatory Science in Environmental Health and Toxicology Training Grant (T32-ES026568) during his final year in the program. His doctoral and postdoctoral training at Texas A&M University centered around elucidating the underlying cellular mechanisms of how diet impacts disease processes. Specifically, his work utilizes advanced fluorescent microscopy techniques and transgenic animal models to characterize the effects of dietary bioactives on the organization of proteolipid signaling clusters on colon and immune cell plasma membranes.
He then completed the translational focused CPRIT-TRIUMPH postdoctoral training program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where he pursued research to define the role of hypoxia-mediated lipid signaling in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment (TME) under the mentorship of Dr. Cullen M. Taniguchi. As a participant in the TRIUMPH program, Dr. Fuentes’ research focused on identifying novel mitochondrial- and plasma membrane-based therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer.
Robert is now one of the newest Assistant Professors in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Currently, his lab employs microscopic and lipidomic techniques to characterize how nanoscale changes to lipids and proteins on tumor and tumor microenvironment (TME) cell-cell contact sites influences immunosuppression. The ultimate goal of his work is to develop membrane-based intervention strategies that improve human health and outcomes for patients afflicted with cancer.
His advice to students is to never stop being curious. Attend as many seminars and talks as possible because you never know where the next big idea will come from. Ultimately pursue what excites you!
Fabian Grimm
Former Toxicology and Superfund Research Program postdoctoral trainee (2014-2017) Fabian Grimm, Ph.D., is now a Team Lead for Toxicology and Ecotoxicology with Global Product Stewardship of Clariant Specialty Chemicals, one of the world’s leading specialty chemical companies. Fabian relocated to his native Germany after a career with ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences in the US. According to Grimm, much of his post-academic career’s focus was shaped by the Superfund Center’s emphasis on transdisciplinary research and collaborative science.
Grimm began his career in biomedical research as a doctoral trainee at the University of Iowa SRP Center under the guidance of Michael Duffel, Ph.D. He studied the mechanisms by which exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a large and complex group of chemicals, may affect thyroid function. After completing his Ph.D., he continued his postdoctoral training at the Texas A&M University SRP Center working with Center Director Ivan Rusyn, M.D., Ph.D. There, he focused on developing and using laboratory and computational approaches to advance regulatory science. For example, using novel cell models that better capture the physiology of organs to address critical gaps in knowledge about potentially hazardous chemicals and mixtures.
His research was recognized by several awards from the Society of Toxicology and other organizations. Among these was the ALTEX Prize in 2019 (Alternatives to Animal Experimentation) for his work using human cells as replacements for animal tests. He also received the Perry J. Gehring Risk Assessment Award from the Society of Toxicology Risk Assessment Specialty Section in 2017.
Outside of the office, Fabian enjoys spending time with his family and seasonal activities such as beach days, bike tours, and winter sports. He also likes to work on home improvement projects.
Xinsheng Gu
Dr. Xinsheng Gu graduated from the program in 2007 under the mentorship of Dr. Yanan Tian. His doctoral research focused on the transcriptional regulation of drug metabolism enzymes by xenobiotic sensors PXR and aryl hydrocarbon receptor under inflammation conditions and xenobiotic exposure. He also benefited scientifically from Drs. Safe, Donnelly, Ramos, Porter, Ramaiah, and other professors in the program. His experience in the program inspired him to pursue a career in academia.
Upon graduation, Dr. Gu worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Jose Manautou in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs. He spent several years in Dr. Manautou’s lab in order to uncover the mechanisms of the transcriptional regulation of drug transporters and drug-induced liver toxicity using the approaches of molecular and cellular biology and systems biology.
In 2013, Dr. Gu initiated and lead the project to translate the book A Small Dose Toxicology written by Dr. Steven Gilbert into Chinese. The Chinese version was published based on collaborative work of a group of Chinese and American toxicologists.
In 2014, Dr. Gu became an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, China. He teaches Chinese students and international students several courses, including pharmacology and medical functional labs. He mentored medical students engaged in research and coached them in winning the second place award in the national competition on study design of basic medical research. Dr. Gu is currently doing research to understand the structure and function of core promoters and their implication in biology and medicine. He is making use of nuclear receptor-mediated transcription system to discover drug candidates from Traditional Chinese Medicine and other ethnic medicine. He also works as an adjunct professor in several hospitals and collaborates extensively with medical doctors to understand diseases and therapeutics.
Xinsheng likes to play around and shed sweat in the gym to get refreshed. Running and the anti-gravity program are his favorite. He also enjoys music and sunshine. Dr. Gu appreciates the Toxicology program at Texas A&M University for the opportunity to remodel his life and career. His advice to the current trainees includes, but is not limited to, be a master of scientific knowledge, excel in research, gain proficient English language skills, and develop sophisticated professional connections. The program provides a plenty of opportunities for trainees to grow and develop.
Sandra Hong
Dr. Sandra Hong graduated from the program in 1997 under the advisorship of Dr. Evelyn Tiffani-Castiglioni and Dr. Stephen Safe. Her doctoral research focused on the neuroactivity of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, organophosphorus pesticides, and chemical warfare agents. During her studies at Texas A&M, she assisted Dr. K.C. Donnelly in conducting EPA guidance risk assessments for Superfund Sites under his company, Environmental Reclamation Associates. These overall experiences inspired her to pursue a career in toxicology consulting.
Upon graduation, Sandra worked for ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc. as a multidisciplinary toxicologist in the role of product stewardship and laboratory methods development. She became the toxicology lead on petrochemical base oils, including international classification and labeling requirements, refinement of short-term test methods and data analysis approaches for predicting dermal carcinogenic potential, and leadership of the toxicology emergency response team for responding to health concerns arising from accidental spills, explosions, and worker exposures.
After six years in industry, Dr. Hong worked at Exponent, Inc., an international engineering and health sciences consulting company, for 13 years performing risk assessments and toxicology evaluations of numerous types of agents, including solvents, bacteriological pathogens, heavy metals, gases, petroleum streams, and personal care products. Dr. Hong now runs her own toxicology consulting practice, taking on projects based on her comprehensive experiences in industry and corporate consulting.
Dr. Hong’s advice to current graduate students is to focus on their course work and research, while also listening for unique opportunities through formal and informal interactions with their professors. While many cultures around the globe assume an amount of silence as a form of respect to those in positions of authority or leadership, the educational program continues to grow at its best when the students interact socially and scientifically with their professors, their fellow students, and former students.
Natalie Johnson
Dr. Natalie Johnson, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M’s School of Public Health, graduated from the program in 2010 under the mentorship of Dr. Tim Phillips. Her dissertation research focused on the development and application of analytical biomarkers to measure environmental exposures in vulnerable populations and evaluate the efficacy of a novel intervention to reduce dietary exposure to aflatoxin, a potent liver carcinogen. Her experiences working on a clinical trial in Ghana and with populations in South Texas at high risk for liver cancer motivated her to pursue a career in public health.
Upon graduation, Natalie completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health under the guidance of Drs. Tom Kensler and John Groopman. Here she refined her skills in biomarker measurement and enhanced her training in molecular toxicology, carrying out substantial research using a lifetime cancer bioassay in the rat to evaluate the chemopreventive potential of activating the Nrf2 antioxidant response pathway. In 2013, Dr. Johnson returned to Texas A&M as a faculty member in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health in the School of Public Health and became an active member of the Interdisciplinary Program in Toxicology. Dr. Johnson’s current research is focused on early life exposure to air pollution and childhood respiratory dysfunction. Her work includes exposure assessment in vulnerable communities along the Texas-Mexico border and Eastern China and mechanistic work in experimental models of infant respiratory disease.
Natalie and her husband James (Aggie class of ‘06) have a daughter and a son. At this moment most of her time is spent writing and playing with her kids, however she also enjoys traveling. Dr. Johnson encourages students who are passionate about public health to consider the wide range of careers in toxicology. She especially supports undergraduates and high school students to get involved in research early and attributes her interest in science being cultivated by participating in the Intel International Science Fair as a junior and senior and the Society of Toxicology as an undergraduate. Dr. Johnson has served as a peer and host mentor for the SOT Undergraduate Education Program since 2008. Participation in programs such as this one has reinforced her desire to mentor students and positively influence them to continue into graduate school.
William Klaren
Dr. William Klaren served as a postdoctoral research associate with Dr. Ivan Rusyn from June of 2016 to February 2018. During his time working with Dr. Rusyn, William helped to develop high-throughput in vitro organotypic assays for grouping of chemical substances based on their bioactivity profiles. This work is particularly useful for unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products and biological materials or UVCBs and was supported by stakeholders in the petroleum industry. William was also involved in the T32 training grant (T32 ES026568) as a postdoctoral fellow and participated in an internship with the consulting firm ToxStrategies, Inc. in Austin, Texas where he assessed the representativeness of in vitro data.
Before joining the Texas A&M toxicology program, William obtained his doctorate from the University of Iowa working with Dr. Larry Robertson. His dissertation focused on how environmental contaminants can alter the micronutrient homeostasis in the liver. Having completed his doctoral and postdoctoral training, William’s first position out of academia was in the consumer goods industry as a Senior Associate in Toxicology at S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. in Racine, Wisconsin. He changed positions recently to join ToxStrategies’ office in Ashville, NC. William enjoys reading, walking along Lake Michigan, and being back in the Midwest closer to family and old friends.
William’s advice for trainees is to ensure a strong understanding of the underlying biology for various toxicological effects as they may not end up working in one specific research area. Most importantly, trainees should focus on honing their critical thinking skills, as these skills are incredibly versatile and are needed in both academia and industry. Lastly, graduate school and postdoctoral training can be difficult and challenging so finding outlets and friends can greatly improve your training experience.
Alexandra Lacey
Dr. Alexandra Lacey graduated from the program in 2017 under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Safe. She carried out her dissertation research on a pediatric cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, and how the over-expression of a nuclear receptor (NR4A1) can be utilized as a drug target.
While in the Toxicology program, Alexandra enrolled in newly offered risk assessment courses, which she believes gave her the skills and knowledge to attain her employment after graduation. She would encourage students to take the risk assessment classes offered and to look outside of the department for classes that may provide an advantage when looking for and applying for jobs. She also suggests taking classes that give the opportunity to earn certifications that can be used as a marketing tool when looking for jobs, such as a HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) certification.
After graduating in 2017, Alexandra took a position as a toxicologist at Shell where she does risk assessments on chemicals and petroleum-related products with a team in Houston and in the Netherlands. Alexandra is married, has 1 daughter and lives in College Station.
Shawna Lemke
Dr. Shawna Lemke, a 2000 graduate of the Toxicology program, studied mycotoxins under Dr. Tim Phillips. Her dissertation work focused on clay-based strategies for the protection of animals from the toxic effects of selected mycotoxins, including zearalenone, aflatoxin and fumonisin. Upon graduation, Dr. Lemke completed a post-doc in human nutrition at UC Davis where she worked on elucidating individual variation in human metabolism of beta-carotene. In 2002, Dr. Lemke joined Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences (based in Petaluma, CA) where she developed toxicological data and clinical trial programs of new dermatological drug formulations. In this role she led a clinical trial unit based in Davis, CA.
In 2005, Dr. Lemke joined Monsanto Company, based in St. Louis Missouri. She has had several roles at Monsanto, beginning with leading the clinical program to establish the nutritional value of soybean oil containing the omega-3 fatty acid, stearidonic acid. Dr. Lemke most recently led the Toxicology and Nutrition Center at Monsanto, with oversight of human safety evaluation for crop protection chemicals and crops developed through biotechnology. Dr. Lemke currently leads Food and Nutrition Engagement within Monsanto’s Corporate Engagement organization. In this role, she works with a wide variety of stakeholders on food and nutrition security and sustainable sourcing, as well as conducting outreach. Dr. Lemke is married to Dr. William Reeves, a fellow toxicologist (Texas A&M 2000). They have two children. Her hobbies include travel, yoga, learning Japanese, and enjoying time with her family.
Her advice to students is to actively explore career opportunities by talking with others at professional meetings and finding mentors from diverse backgrounds. In addition, familiarize yourself with the principles of risk assessment. Dr. Lemke took course work from Dr. Tim Phillips, Dr. Steve Safe, Dr. Kirby Donnelly and Dr. Kurt Brown that have proved invaluable for understanding the importance of reliable hazard and exposure information to making informed decisions. Above all, appreciate the time spent in the program – for her it was a formative time as a scientist and introduced her to her husband!
Amelia Romoser
Dr. Amelia Romoser graduated from the program in 2012 under the direction of Drs. Christie Sayes and Michael Criscitiello. Her studies involved the characterization of physicochemical properties associated with metal and carbon-based nanoparticles and the inflammatory processes that these materials caused in primary human skin cells.
Upon graduation, Amelia was recruited to the Phillips laboratory as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, where she helped direct human clinical intervention trials in San Antonio and Kenya, in addition to research in rodents, dairy cattle, and aquatic organisms. These studies were designed to test the ability of clay materials to effectively reduce inflammation and mycotoxin bioavailability. In the Phillips lab she learned extraction techniques and mass spectrometry to detect mycotoxin metabolites in urine samples.
Following her postdoctoral assignment, she began a fellowship at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, where she gained additional knowledge of cutting edge analytical chemistry techniques to develop methods for detection of novel synthetic drugs in postmortem samples.
The NASA Johnson Space Center Toxicology Group offered Amelia a position as a contractor toxicologist in 2015. In this role, she assimilated the broad knowledge gained from Texas A&M, which has allowed her to provide quality support and new capabilities to the team. Her primary roles are to assess the hazards associated with payload and systems chemicals and to perform human health risk assessments. She also sets air and water exposure limits to various chemicals, educates astronauts about chemical hazards in their environment, and meets with international partners about air quality on a regular basis as part of our research collaboration with the International Space Station.
In her spare time, Amelia serves as an Associate Editor for Food Additives and Contaminants. She also enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, gardening, and nature photography.
Amelia’s advice for trainees is to communicate your science often and challenge yourself to do it better each time. It’s more difficult to be a great scientist if you aren’t an effective communicator. Practice written and oral communication as much as possible. This will take you farther than you would think possible.
Kristal Rychlik
Dr. Kristal Rychlik began the Toxicology Ph.D. program in June 2010 under the guidance of Dr. Timothy Phillips. Her initial work focused on the remediation of mycotoxins utilizing calcium montmorillonite clay and detection in human samples. As she took classes and began to research other mycotoxins including fumonisin and zearalenone, she realized her interest in developmental toxicology. Around this time, she also found out that she was expecting a baby boy. Although she chose to step away from the bench for a few months, this event led Kristal to transition into Dr. Natalie Johnson’s laboratory at the School of Public Health and allowed her to focus her research pursuits on developmental toxicology. During the last years of her program, she had the opportunity to visit China to collaborate on a research project, develop a prenatal exposure model with the Texas A&M Atmospheric Sciences department, and assess pollutant exposure from monitors worn by pregnant women in South Texas with help from the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group. Dr. Rychlik graduated in May 2017 with a dissertation focused on prenatal exposure to air pollution and effects on the allergic immune response.
Kristal accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Environmental Health and Engineering department under Dr. Fenna Sillé. Dr. Rychlik now studies prenatal exposure to arsenic and effects on immune outcomes with an emphasis on infectious disease. Her time at Hopkins has tested and proven the stability of a foundation built at Texas A&M.
Dr. Rychlik cites her experience mentoring Undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D. students in the laboratory and in the classroom as her major motivation for pursuing a career in academia. She is motivated to empower women to pursue science even if it isn’t always easy. Although she would not refer to it as work/life balance, Dr. Rychlik strives to work hard and play hard, making the most of the time she spends at work and at home. She feels truly blessed by the support and love from her husband and family and for her (now 4-year-old) son. Kristal enjoys engaging with the community through science fairs and encourages students to consider the broad range of possibilities a science education can provide.
Emily Schmitt
Dr. Emily Schmitt was a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Weston Porter from 2015-2018. She was also fortunate enough to hold a T-32 Research Service Award Fellow position in Toxicology (T32 ES026568) during her final year in the program. Her research focused on circadian rhythms, mammary gland development, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolism. Coming from a completely different background than her doctoral work in exercise physiology, Emily was very grateful for the mentorship she received in the toxicology program to help her develop her professional skillset.
Before joining the Texas A&M toxicology program, Emily obtained her doctorate from Dr. Tim Lightfoot – also at Texas A&M University. Under the guidance of Dr. Lightfoot, her dissertation focused on how endocrine disruption in utero affects physical activity levels in mice. Emily is very grateful for the 8 years spent in total learning at Texas A&M and credits her training in helping her land a tenure-track academic position.
Emily is now one of the newest Assistant Professors at the University of Wyoming in the Division of Kinesiology and Health. She is currently developing her own line of research combing the fields of exercise physiology and toxicology to continue to research how the body reacts to environmental contaminates such as phthalates and PAHs. Her research goals involve studying the relationship between physical activity, endocrine disruption, and circadian rhythms – specifically the timing of exercise in mitigating the harmful exposure to carcinogens that negatively impact human health. Her overall goal is to be able to provide personalized exercise medicine to individuals constantly exposed to light at night to help prevent or delay the development of harmful diseases from working the night shift.
Emily’s advice for new trainees is to take advantage of the variety of classes, mentors, seminars, and conferences available for students. Take full advantage to host out-of-town speakers (i.e. pick up from airport, take to lunch, etc.) because developing your connections outside of Texas A&M is extremely important to furthering your network which will help you secure a job. In addition, she cannot emphasize enough how important it is to attend seminars and symposiums available through the TOX program for the opportunity to present your research. Developing intra-personal skills, as well as, refining research presentations will only prove valuable as you set out into the workforce.
Kelly Tuttle
Dr. Kelly Scribner Tuttle graduated from the program in 2013 under the advisorship of Dr. Weston Porter. Her research focused on the role of the gene Singleminded-2s in oncogenesis, specifically in regards to breast cancer and metastasis. During her time at Texas A&M, she also researched the role of Sim2s in metabolism, and assisted in research regarding nanotoxicology, and the role of manganese in early puberty.
Upon graduating from Texas A&M, Dr. Scribner Tuttle joined the team at the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, a science-based environmental consulting firm established to provide toxicology and human health consulting services to public and private sectors. As a project toxicologist at CTEH, Dr. Scribner Tuttle participates in the Toxicology Emergency Response Program (TERP), where she responds to emergencies involving potentially hazardous chemicals around the nation and world. She also provides toxicological evaluations, risk assessments, and industrial hygiene support for clients, on chemicals such as heavy metals, petroleum products, asbestos, and other chemicals.
Kelly and her husband met on the job and currently live outside Weatherford, TX, where they are starting a homestead. Her hobbies include horses, piano, travel, reading, and cooking.
Kelly’s advice to students is to not limit yourself. Try out all the areas that toxicology has to offer, there is a wide range of possibilities for a career in toxicology after school. “While in grad school I thought I would stay in academia, and never planned on the career path I ended up choosing, but thanks to the mentorship of my PI, Dr. Porter, and my committee (Dr. Safe, Dr. Dindot, Dr. Dees, and Dr. Phillips), I had strong training in many aspects of toxicology that allowed me to jump into my career without restraints or any limitations!” Also choose a mentor based upon their abilities and how you feel you will work with them for the time you will spend in grad school, rather than solely on the research you will be performing. You mentor and your committee will be your biggest influencers while in grad school, and it is more important to have a team that will challenge, support, and guide you than being in a lab that is exactly what research you think you want to do. Also, enjoy the program – the students and people you are working with will become some lifelong colleagues and friends. Your time in the Toxicology program will be some of the best years of your life!
Kristie Willett
Dr. Kristie Willett graduated in 1997 from Dr. Steve Safe’s laboratory. Her dissertation research focused on the development and validation of biomarkers for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine organisms. Dr. Safe always accused her of “going fishing”, because her research took her on many sampling trips in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay and even the North Sea.
After graduating she became a Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Chemistry at Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Dr. Ron Hites’ laboratory. There she learned gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods that have become critical to her subsequent toxicology studies for dose confirmation and metabolite quantitation. After a year at IU, Kristie moved to Duke University as a RJR Leon Golberg Toxicology Fellow in Dr. Rich DiGiulio’s laboratory. Her work there shifted back to benzo[a]pyrene mechanisms of action. She used both Fundulus and catfish to investigate susceptibility differences in PAH toxicity.
In 2000, Kristie was recruited as an environmental toxicologist to the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology. She has risen through the academic ranks and currently serves as Chair of the Department of BioMolecular Sciences and Graduate Coordinator of the Environmental Toxicology Division. Throughout her career she has led research projects which were designed to fundamentally understand the molecular mechanisms underlying toxicity and/or shed light on the potential adverse outcomes due to relevant anthropogenic contamination. New work in her lab uses zebrafish to investigate drug-resistant epilepsy including the efficacy vs toxicity of cannabidiol and D9-tetrahydrocannabinol. She is still (>25 years – yikes!) studying BaP toxicity particularly with respect to its developmental basis for adult and multigenerational disease. She also sometimes manages to get out in the field to sample in response to oil spills and hurricanes. Most recently she has been working with collaborators from across campus (e.g. law, engineering, and sociology) and community partners to improve drinking water in Jackson and the Mississippi Delta.
Kristie and her husband Jason (a t.u. grad?!) have a daughter and son that keep them very busy. Her advice to students is to take every opportunity to develop your communication skills. Also be open to interdisciplinary approaches to your research questions. Over the course of her career her collaborative research projects have been the most fulfilling.
Cody Wilson
Dr. Cody Wilson, a 1997 graduate of the Toxicology Program, studied dioxins and donuts under Dr. Steve Safe. His dissertation work focused on protein variants in the Ah Receptor signaling pathway in human breast cancer cells and tumors. Upon graduation, Cody was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, where he served in a range of toxicological research and operational assignments until December 2004. Upon leaving active duty, he served as a Research Scientist and Coordinator for External Affairs of the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security University Center of Excellence based at Texas A&M. In 2006, Cody joined the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company to lead the Methods of Toxicological Assessment group in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Following a five-year stint at RJR, Dr. Wilson joined SC Johnson and Son, Inc. in 2010, where he most recently served as Director, Regulatory Affairs for Asia-Pacific and was based with his family in Shanghai, China from 2011 until April 2014.
In his current position, Cody leads the Food Safety Center of Excellence at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta. In this role, he leads a team of toxicologists and chemists in assuring the safety of ingredients, food contact materials, and crop protection technologies for 500+ brands sold in 209 countries around the world. He enjoys spending his free time as a registered leader of Boy Scout Troop 370 in Atlanta and cheering on his kids in competitive climbing and swimming. He is married to Dr. Karen Wilson, DVM (Texas A&M ’94 and ’98). They have a son and twin daughters.
His advice to current students is to recognize that the range of career options for a toxicologist is very broad. Prepare yourself for anything by developing a rock-solid technical foundation, maintaining your integrity, seeking out and striving to excel in any leadership role you can find, learning how to write, and learning how to play as part of a team both as a leader and a follower. Above all, resolve to give your best in any task you undertake and have fun doing it. These fundamentals are valued by any employer, whether academic, public sector, private sector, or non-profit.
Katherine Zychowski
Dr. Katherine Zychowski was a graduate student in Dr. Tim Phillips’ laboratory and graduated in 2014 from the Texas A&M Toxicology Program. After completing her degree at Texas A&M, she accepted a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of New Mexico (UNM) where she studied vascular effects of air pollution. She was awarded the IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellowship (an NIH/NIGMS-sponsored program) in 2016 and in addition to research, she committed a significant portion of her time to pedagogical training and developing active learning strategies in the classroom. Katie was awarded an NIH/NIEHS K99 ‘Pathway to Independence’ Award in 2018 and has recently accepted an Assistant Professorship in the UNM-Health Sciences Center. She is currently a part of a larger cohort of scholars all working on various aspects of health detriments caused by legacy uranium mining in Native American communities. Katie is passionate about public health research that impacts underserved populations, more specifically, research that will drive changes in policy and promote healthy communities.
Dr. Zychowski’s advice for trainees: it’s never too early to start building your network! You won’t be a graduate student or postdoc forever and the colleagues you meet now will support you in the future. Also, upholding honesty and integrity in your work will help foster a strong scientific reputation. Lastly, should you pursue an academic career, grantsmanship and writing skills will be critical to your success.
Katie is devoted to her family and enjoys spending time with her husband and children.