Krystal Pollitt, PhD, P.Eng.

People are continuously exposed to complex mixtures of environmental chemicals. Exposure to these chemicals is influenced by changes in the climate. My research aims to understand the contribution of these non-genetic factors to disease. I apply omic-scale approaches, known as exposomics, to sequence environmental exposures over the life course. The diversity of structures and physical-chemical properties as well as the wide dynamic range of environmental chemicals presents measurement challenges. The focus of my research is operationalizing exposomic analysis for application in clinical, translational, and population studies. My work develops robust, reliable, and rigorous analytical and bioinformatic technologies that enable systematic, high-throughput, and affordable measurements of contaminants in biological and environmental air samples. I have investigated the community context of environmental health across the United States and globally, working with partners in 13 countries. Through collaborations with citizens, urban planners, architects, transportation engineers, and other stakeholders, my research has had societal impact through the development of actionable interventions and solutions to create healthy environments. Current projects include development of wearable technologies to measure personal exposure airborne chemicals and pathogens and creation of a low-cost air sensor network across Western Massachusetts (https://pvhealthyair.org/) to engage local community members/organisations in air quality issues.