Brett Poulin, Ph.D.
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Department of Environmental Toxicology
DOI-Funded Research to Protect Wetlands and Human Health
Brett Poulin, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Toxicology at UC Davis, studies how metal contaminants affect human and wildlife. His federally funded research focuses on coastal wetlands, especially the Florida Everglades, where his team examines how toxins like mercury travel through water, soil and living organisms. By identifying how sea level rise and saltwater intrusion influence mercury levels in ecosystems, his work provides critical information for water management and environmental protection.
Helping Humanity
Poulin’s research helps scientists and policymakers understand how climate change may increase the movement of mercury in coastal wetlands and accumulation in the food chain. Mercury can accumulate in fish that people eat, and because it is a powerful neurotoxin, it can harm the human nervous system and affect developing fetuses and children.
"If my federal funding is eliminated it means that my research will not be informing stakeholder decisions, which will translate to higher mercury levels in fish and greater mercury exposure to the general public.”
—Brett Poulin, Ph.D.