I am an environmental health scientist. As an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, I integrate my training in environmental health, molecular toxicology, epidemiology, environmental science, and aquatic ecology, as well as my professional experience in both the private and public sectors to inform my research and teaching. My research asks critical questions about how toxic chemicals move throughout ecosystems, how people are exposed to these chemicals, and how the chemicals perturb physiological processes. Underpinning these questions is the implicit need to understand the reciprocity between human activity, environmental quality, and our health. Interdisciplinary approaches excite and inspire me because I believe these spaces are where essential insights needed to address the world’s most complex and pressing problems - many of which relate to the environment and public health - emerge.

I love introducing undergraduate students to the field of environmental health (and public health more broadly) through my courses and research. I also take seriously the importance of scientists translating and communicating their findings for non-technical audiences, making an effort to engage in science communication in and out of my classroom as often as possible.

Before joining Middlebury College in 2020, I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Environmental Science and Aquatic Ecology and Watershed Science, respectively, from the University of Vermont, and my PhD in Environmental health from the Boston University School of Public Health. I also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Epidemiology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. My full CV is available here.

If you are interested in collaborating or working in my lab, please contact me: kcrawford [at] middlebury [dot] edu.