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Natalie Karouna-Renier, Ph.D.

Natalie is a Research Ecologist and leader of the Molecular Toxicology Laboratory at Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD. Natalie's expertise is in molecular toxicology with a focus on understanding, detecting, and predicting the effects of environmental stressors on wildlife.

Natalie's laboratory uses genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, microbiomic, endocrine, and biochemical tools to develop novel biomarkers and assessment tools and applies these in collaborative field and laboratory studies that investigate regional, national, and international environmental health questions.  Current projects in her lab fall under the broad scope of ecotoxicology, focusing on immune system and disease susceptibility, endocrine disruption, genotoxicity, and health status of birds and other wildlife. Hazards and toxicity of contemporary contaminants, such as perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), flame retardants and neonicotinoid pesticides are of particular interest. The data are used for forecasting effects on individuals and populations, identifying wildlife that are potentially being harmed, assessing damage to trust resources, and otherwise informing natural resource management decisions.