Olivia Jenks, PhD

Olivia Jenks is a chemist at the Central Plains Water Science Center, where she contributes to and supports analytical research focused on algal and environmental toxins. Her work supports research into the health effects, environmental fate, and control of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and other contaminants. Olivia develops and validates trace and ultratrace analytical methods, manages advanced instrumentation, and collaborates on both laboratory and field-based studies.

Her background includes atmospheric chemistry research conducted during her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she studied the formation and transformation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) and the impacts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and photochemical processes on air quality—work that informs her current focus on environmental contaminants and their broader ecological and human health implications.