Jacqueline Gerson
- Assistant Professor
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
- College of Natural Science
WEBSITE
BIOGRAPHY
Jacqueline Gerson is a watershed biogeochemist interested in understanding how human activity alters the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and contaminants across the watershed. She earned her PhD in Ecology from Duke University, MS in Environmental Engineering Science from Syracuse University, and BA in Biochemistry from Colgate University. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Earth and Environmental Science and also is affiliated with Kellogg Biological Station.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Jacqueline’s interdisciplinary approach recognizes humans as part of the ecosystem and investigates the impact of ecosystem perturbations on humans and wildlife. Her research focuses on quantifying the fate, transport, and transformation of contaminants (e.g., mercury, sulfate, PFAS) to identify points in space and time that disproportionately affect the biogeochemical cycling of these elements. She then uses this information to work with policymakers and stakeholders to guide management and mitigation policies. She has worked in vineyards in California, the Adirondack Mountains of New York, mountaintop coal mining areas of West Virginia, and gold mining areas of the Peruvian Amazon and Senegal, with upcoming projects in Kenya and Ghana.