Russell (Rusty) Thomas, Ph.D., is the vice president and executive director of UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights.

Prior to joining Chemical Insights, Rusty served as director of the Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He has managed research teams in public, private, and non-profit sectors, advancing the science of toxicology and environmental health.

Rusty has a broad, multidisciplinary background with a B.A. in chemistry from Tabor College in Kansas, and both an M.S. in radiation ecology and health physics and a Ph.D. in toxicology from Colorado State University. He performed his postdoctoral training in molecular biology and genomics at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research in Wisconsin.

ORCiD: 0000-0002-2340-0301

Please contact Bert Kelly for media inquiries.

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

Tillman Fulcher, MBA, is the office manager supporting UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She provides valuable assistance in budget planning, scheduling, liaising between internal and external partners, as well as other essential support tasks to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness.

She holds a B.S. in Biology, Pre-Medicine from Kennesaw State University. Tillman earned an MBA in January 2025. She is currently enrolled in the DBA program at Liberty University with an emphasis on Strategic Management.

Imani Gulley is an administrative assistant at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights based in the Marietta office. She assists in organizational and operational support, ranging from handling communications to assisting daily operations including filing and planning.

Imani received a B.S. in Public Health from Mercer University. She brings a background in public health education and healthcare administration, with experience in research, data entry, and data analysis

Jamilah Simon is an administrative assistant at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She assists in budget planning, filing, scheduling, and additional supporting tasks.

Jamilah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University. Prior to joining UL Research Institutes, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry, managing clinical trial logistics and clinical site identification projects.

Mark Wilson, Ph.D., MSPH, CIH, is the research director for the Center for Analytical & Exposure Science within UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights in Marietta, Georgia. His work aims to characterize exposures associated with various occupational and environmental scenarios to evaluate health risks. Mark’s methodology is based on the collection of various environmental samples (air, water, food, dust/soil) to determine the presence and quantify the levels of chemical hazards present. These data are integrated into exposure models to estimate exposure levels to chemicals of concern that are evaluated for acceptability by comparison to regulatory or health-based criteria.

Mark received a Ph.D. and a Masters in Toxicology from Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in New Orleans, Louisiana. After graduate school, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Tulane University. During this time, Mark was involved in dietary health risk assessments focused on the impact of the Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill on seafood safety in the Gulf of Mexico and developed in vitro methodology to evaluate the toxic potential for chemical agents with little to no regulatory and toxicological information.

ORCiD: 0000-0003-0427-9689

Contact Information

Please contact Bert Kelly for media inquiries.

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

John Wambaugh, Ph.D., is a principal computational exposure and toxicokinetic research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He leads research in in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE), toxicokinetics, and exposure science, providing expertise in applied statistics, machine learning, and new approach methods (NAMs), while developing mathematical models for chemical safety assessment.

Before joining Chemical Insights, John worked for over 16 years as a research physical scientist focused on computational toxicology and exposure. In this role, he co-led a project that provides high-throughput exposure estimates for thousands of chemicals and developed a widely-used R package that can estimate the concentration of a chemical that would lead to a biological response. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications, mentored 18 trainees, and served as a contracting officer’s representative for several federal research contracts focused on chemical toxicity and human exposure modeling. John co-founded and was the first president of the Society of Toxicology’s Exposure Science Specialty Section, organizing over 30 symposia on new approach methods.

He holds a Ph.D. in Physics and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Duke University, a Master of Science in Physics from Georgia Tech, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Michigan.

ORCiD: 0000-0002-4024-534X

Kristin K. Isaacs, Ph.D., is a principal computational exposure research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She leads research on characterizing human health risks from chemicals, focusing on their sources, pathways, and occurrence in the environment. Her expertise includes probabilistic exposure modeling, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling, and network analysis.

With over 15 years working in research and development, including co-leading a program that provides high-throughput exposure estimates for thousands of chemicals, Kristin is a leader in computational exposure science. Her work includes developing human exposure models for air pollutants and environmental chemicals, advancing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) like machine learning, and creating databases to support regulatory decision-making.

She has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles and mentored multiple postdoctoral fellows. She holds an adjunct associate professor role at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and previously served on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Exposure Science. Kristin earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and both her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kentucky.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-9547-1654

Patrick Chepaitis is the senior laboratory manager at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on chemical emissions from consumer products and technologies like electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). He oversees the Center for Analytical & Exposure Science, including the analytical instruments used for identifying chemicals in research projects.

Patrick holds an M.S. in Chemistry from Georgia State University and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His background includes an internship in environmental coal particle emissions and graduate research in glycan signaling and DNA repair modeling. He spent seven years as a forensic chemist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, where he analyzed evidence submissions for controlled substances.

He is an active member of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

ORCiD: 0000-0002-5764-8348

Cynthia Choo, Ph.D., is a lead research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Her work focuses on characterizing volatile organic compounds and semi-volatile organic compounds released during wildland and wildland–urban interface fires, as well as those that persist in post-fire residues. Using data generated from advanced analytical techniques, such as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, she develops exposure models to better understand human exposure to these hazardous compounds in indoor environments.

Cynthia earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Memphis. She then served as a tenure-track assistant professor at Southeast Missouri State University, where she taught analytical chemistry and conducted research on the environmental life history of the pallid sturgeon. After three years in academia, she transitioned to industry as a research and development chemist, where she focused on method development using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS).

ORCiD: 0009-0002-0065-1981

Anna Boatman, Ph.D., is a laboratory analytical chemistry technician at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Anna is involved in setting up the new non-targeted analysis (NTA) laboratory space and instrumentation, generating spectral libraries, preparing and analyzing samples, performing both targeted and non-targeted analyses, and developing informatics tools to make NTA data more accessible.

Anna holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Pharmacology/Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Between degrees, she held roles as a Planning & Scheduling Specialist, Project Manager, and Production Scientist at MilliporeSigma. In her doctoral research, she specialized in using NTA techniques to study per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in complex biological samples including fish tissue, alligator blood, and more.

ORCiD: 000-0003-2582-0622

David Kalafut is a field research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where he focuses on collecting and identifying chemical and elemental hazards and particulate matter in air, soil, and water. His work supports the evaluation of potential human health effects and the development of strategies to reduce community exposure to environmental hazards. David utilizes various sampling tools and integrates high-resolution geospatial data with analytical results to identify hazard concentrations and locations.

He earned a B.S. in Geology from the University of Northern Iowa and previously worked as an environmental consultant, conducting large-scale exposure assessments on issues like PFAS contamination at military sites and lead in drinking water at schools. His expertise supports all field sampling projects at Chemical Insights, leading to the creation of training materials and initiatives such as a water fountain flushing program for Nashville public schools and sampling procedures for PFAS in wind propulsion tunnels.

ORCiD: 0009-0004-6671-4409

Fatima is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on the chemical characterization and emissions analysis of consumer products and emerging technologies. She oversees UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights’ research efforts and Analytical Laboratory Education.

She graduated from Georgia State University with a B.S. in Chemistry, with an emphasis on inorganic and organometallic compounds. As an undergraduate, she researched the hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical characterization of vanadium oxide nanomaterials and used molecular modeling to address structural issues in chemistry. After graduating, Fatima became an Analytical Chemist at The Coca-Cola Company, where she analyzed contaminants in recycled PET and standardized processes.

Heather Whitehead, Ph.D., is a laboratory non-targeted analytical chemistry research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on developing analysis workflows for investigating environmental contaminants.

Before joining Chemical Insights, she was a physical scientist, where she created tools for non-targeted analysis (NTA), including a toolkit designed to support NTA for PFAS. She collaborated with state laboratories to enhance PFAS measurement capabilities and conducted research on PFAS contamination in consumer products and the environment. Her doctoral research at the University of Notre Dame involved creating selective analytical methods for health-relevant compounds using innovative spectroscopy techniques.

Heather holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry from the University of Tulsa. She has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications focused on environmental contaminant analysis and PFAS, showcasing her dedication to advancing analytical chemistry for environmental health.

ORCiD: 0000-0003-1817-604X

Taryn Waddey is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She studies chemical emissions from consumer products and technologies like electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and 3D printers, and she assists with sample preparation and research.

Taryn graduated from Bethune-Cookman University with a B.S. in Integrated Environmental Science, focusing on water quality and the environmental impacts of the Halifax River in Daytona Beach. She is excited to contribute to a healthier environment for future generations at Chemical Insights.

ORCiD: 0009-0007-1600-1437

Troy M. Ferland, Ph.D., is a research scientist specializing in computational non-targeted analysis (NTA) at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He is responsible for building databases and applications for NTA data and collaborating with other researchers on the environmental impacts of fires at the wildland urban interface (WUI).

Troy has expertise in analytical chemistry with a focus on data analytics, workflow capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. He applies advanced computational methods with experimental chemistry to enhance chemical exposure studies.

Prior to joining Chemical Insights, he held positions as an ORISE postdoctoral fellow working on web application development in support of NTA studies and as a postdoctoral research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, where he investigated chemical signatures of modern and ancient fires in East Africa.

Troy earned his Ph.D. in Geosciences from Pennsylvania State University, and his M.S. in Geology & Environmental Science and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

Qian Zhang, Ph.D., is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Her research interests are centered on air quality, pollution, and human exposure. Her expertise includes particle and chemical emission characterization, aerosol measurement, toxicity assessment, and indoor air exposure estimation. Motivated to understand and address environmental pollution, she aims to improve human health and the environment.

She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2018, focusing on aerosol emissions from 3D printers. Since 2019, Qian has worked with Underwriters Laboratories, initially as a post-doctoral researcher and now as a Research Scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Her research involves emissions from 3D printing and electronic nicotine delivery systems, along with exposure estimation and mitigation strategies. She holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing and has experience in water and wastewater treatment.

In addition to her publications and presentations, Qian is an active reviewer and member of scientific communities and holds an engineer-in-training certification.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-5004-3058

Katie Paul Friedman, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Chemical Informatics & Screening within UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She focuses on using computational and experimental new approach methods to understand the biological effects and health outcomes of chemical exposures.

Prior to her current role, Katie held scientific leadership positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including working as a division director and computational toxicologist. She was instrumental in promoting new approach methods for pesticides and chemicals, leading the ToxCast program and developing data and open source tools for chemical assessment. Her work significantly advanced the use of innovative assessment approaches. Before the EPA, she was a regulatory toxicologist at Bayer CropScience.

Katie earned her Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech, with minors in Chemistry and Environmental Policy and Planning.

ORCiD: 0000-0002-2710-1691

Please contact Bert Kelly for media inquiries.

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

Caroline Sartain, Ph.D., is a principal cellular profiling scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She leads the development of a high-throughput phenotypic and transcriptomic cell profiling platform that will be leveraged to generate bioactivity signatures for hundreds to thousands of understudied chemicals. In this role, she provides strategic and technical leadership in assay design, high-throughput laboratory workflow efficiency, and high-dimensional data analysis and management to establish and expand UL Research Institutes’ in vitro chemical bioactivity data portfolio. 

Caroline is a seasoned developer of advanced high-throughput laboratory platforms, with deep experience building and deploying next-generation sequencing and imaging-based assays across the diagnostics, small-molecule therapeutics, and biotechnology sectors. Her work spans diverse areas of human health, including oncology (liver cancer and cancer immunotherapy), rare genetic disease (carrier screening and therapeutic development for muscular dystrophy, cardiomyopathy, and sickle cell disease), and reproductive medicine (preimplantation genetic screening). Across these applications, she has integrated specialized techniques, including single-cell sequencing, liquid biopsy biomarker detection, and design of custom-built laboratory robotics to translate complex biological data into scalable, operational platforms that support discovery and decision-making. 

Caroline received her Ph.D. in Genetics, Genomics, & Development from Cornell University and her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Rhodes College. 

ORCiD: 0009-0004-2586-8743

Chad Deisenroth, Ph.D., is the principal laboratory toxicology research scientist in the Center for Chemical Informatics and Screening at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. His work focuses on the development and application of human-relevant, cell-based and biochemical methods to evaluate the potential health effects of environmental chemicals. He uses high-throughput screening platforms and advanced in vitro technologies to reduce reliance on animal testing and enhance decision-making for human health protection.

Prior to joining Chemical Insights, Chad held principal investigator roles across government, non-profit, and contract research organizations, where he advanced innovative approaches for chemical safety evaluation and human health assessment.

He earned his Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Microbiology from Montana State University. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and received the 2021 Best Published Paper Award from the Society of Toxicology’s Risk Assessment Specialty Section.

ORCiD: 0000-0002-0276-9716

Logan J. Everett, Ph.D., is a principal bioinformatics research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on developing novel methods that integrate transcriptomics and cell painting technologies for toxicological assessments.

With extensive experience in bioinformatics, toxicogenomics, and computational toxicology, Logan’s research emphasizes omics-scale technologies for chemical safety assessments. He has contributed to New Approach Methodologies for high-throughput chemical screening and implemented transcriptomics in traditional rodent models, combining expertise in genomics, data science, and toxicology.

Before joining UL Research Institutes, he completed postdoctoral training at North Carolina State University and the University of Pennsylvania. Logan holds a Ph.D. in Genomics and Computational Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Computer Science with a Chemistry minor from Binghamton University. He is actively involved in a collaborative scientific group that is developing ways to use gene-expression data to help determine safe chemical exposure levels.

ORCiD: 0000-0002-9713-6099

Reeder Sams II, Ph.D., is the principal risk assessment research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on hazard evaluation of chemicals. He held senior positions in his previous role, including serving as a director of multiple teams and as an executive supporting financial management.

His expertise includes toxicology, human health risk assessment, and computational toxicology for regulatory decisions. Reeder has led significant health assessments and co-founded a training program for risk assessment, training over 2,000 professionals globally.

He holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Toxicology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a B.S. in Pre-Veterinary Medicine from West Virginia University. He has received multiple awards for his contributions to risk assessment methodologies.

Briana E. Foley, B.S., is a laboratory toxicology research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She develops, validates, and implements targeted high-throughput in vitro assays for chemical activity assessments.  

Prior to joining Chemical Insights, Briana served as a biologist who contributed to the development and validation of new approach methods for endocrine disruption screening and chemical hazard assessment. She brings extensive technical expertise in isolation, culture, and characterization of primary cells; in vitro method development, validation and implementation; and detection and characterization across multiple in vitro endpoints, including phenotypic profiling, high-content imaging, protein detection, and gene expression. 

Briana received her Bachelor of Science in Botany from North Carolina State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. 

ORCiD: 0009-0007-4598-2385

Chelsea Weitekamp, Ph.D., is a computational toxicology research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where she conducts advanced research to support human and environmental health. Her work focuses on building databases and models that analyze and interpret toxicological data to assess health risks.

Prior to joining Chemical Insights, Chelsea spent over seven years in scientific leadership roles. In these positions, she facilitated the translation of computational toxicology research for decision-making contexts and provided scientific and technical expertise to partners and stakeholders. She served as the technical expert for a large, comprehensive database of toxicity values essential to computational assessment tools and directed collaborative efforts with multiple governmental organizations to advance new approach methods. She also contributed to numerous chemical assessments, including evaluations of human health risks associated with pollutants in ambient air and chemicals found in the environment, while co-leading a professional training program focused on risk assessment.

Chelsea earned her Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor’s in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Florida. She has over 30 peer-reviewed publications in areas including computational toxicology and environmental health.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-6392-7784

Gabriel Sinclair is a cheminformatics research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on cheminformatics research, developing software tools for chemical data analysis, and applying machine learning to computational chemistry and toxicology.

With a background as a chemist and a human health risk assessor, Gabriel has expertise in computational chemistry, chemical data management, and software development. He has experience in chemical risk assessment, statistical analysis, and the development of cheminformatics software, contributing to open-source prediction models and large chemical data resources.

Gabriel holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management with a concentration in Operations Research and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

ORCiD: 0000-0003-0802-2282

Nathaniel Charest, Ph.D., is a cheminformatician and modeler at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He focuses on cheminformatics research and applying machine and statistical learning to computational chemistry. His work involves integrating non-targeted analysis exposure data with bioactivity datasets to enhance toxicity testing and chemical prioritization.

Previously, Nate was a research scientist, developing platforms for chemical data analysis and creating predictive models for chemical properties. He also completed postdoctoral research using machine learning to model sequence-activity relationships from RNA-seq datasets, successfully predicting validated active ribozymes.

Nate holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California Santa Barbara and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the same institution.  

ORCiD: 0000-0003-4252-0365

Stephen (Steve) W. Edwards, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Scientific Computing & Data Management within  UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He will oversee the integration and dissemination of data generated by Chemical Insights, merging diverse sources for comprehensive analyses to support public health decisions.  

With over 30 years of experience in pharmacology and toxicology, Steve’s expertise includes data mining, web-accessible knowledge bases, biomarker applications, omics analysis, and statistical computing.

Before joining UL Research Institutes, he served as division director at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, developing tools like the CompTox Chemicals Dashboard. He also contributed to computational toxicology at RTI International and identified drug targets at Rosetta Inpharmatics.  

Steve holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University and a B.S. with Honors in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous awards, including the 2022 Lush Prize, recognizing his impact in advancing computational toxicology and open data initiatives. 

ORCiD: 0000-0002-7985-111X

Please contact Bert Kelly for media inquiries.

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

Asif Rashid is the senior manager of software development and data integration at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He oversees software engineering and data management initiatives that support research teams with scalable digital infrastructure. Asif leads the development of the institute’s data platform, APIs, and research software applications to enhance data-driven discovery.

He has extensive experience in architecting scientific data platforms and leading high-impact research applications. In Asif’s previous role, he was the technical lead for prominent chemical-data and decision-support platforms, making them scalable tools for scientists and regulators. He also developed an advanced information-management application and expanded public access to environmental data.

Asif holds a Master of Engineering in Computer Science from North Carolina State University and a Master of Computer Science from Karachi University, bringing expertise in modern software architecture and research data engineering focused on AI- and ML-ready platforms.

Sean Watford, MSPH, Ph.D., is the chemical safety data science manager at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He manages the collection and distribution of toxicological data, emphasizing Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles for enhanced data access and integration.

Previously, Sean was a senior environmental health data scientist, advancing artificial intelligence for systematic review automation, as well as leading programs advancing harmonization of animal toxicity data. Another previous role involved creating synthetic health data solutions for a national healthcare organization. He has led projects across intergovernmental organizations on harmonized research data templates and has developed web applications for chemical assessments.

Sean earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, along with a Master of Science in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Biology, emphasizing Computational Science from Wofford College. He has published extensively on data interoperability and chemical assessment automation.

ORCiD: 0000-0003-0888-5029

Andy Shapiro is a senior software engineer at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, collaborating with health scientists and informaticians to build complex scientific software, reproducible pipelines, and data visualizations.

With extensive experience in scientific software engineering and data science, Andy previously worked as a senior software engineer. In this role, he developed a content management system designed to support human health and environmental risk assessments as well as a software suite that provides access to mathematical models that can help estimate the quantitative relationship between a chemical dose and a response.

He holds a Master’s and a Bachelor’s in Public Health, specializing in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, along with a Certificate in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. Andy is dedicated to advancing scientific research and chemical safety assessment.

ORCiD: 0000-0002-5233-8092

Hui Gong, M.S., is a lead software engineer at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She develops data-driven web applications and backend services for integrated datasets, manages end-to-end delivery, and oversees Azure infrastructure with infrastructure-as-code.

She brings broad experience across front-end and back-end development, with a strong background in building software platforms for chemical and scientific data. Her work includes developing data pipelines, APIs, and dashboards, as well as modernizing applications to enhance performance, usability, and scalability.

She earned an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an M.S. in Biology from the University of Texas, and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Shandong University.

ORCiD: 0009-0008-3533-7259

Taylor Wall, M.Sc., is a senior toxicology and exposure data scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Taylor is tasked with developing data workflows (using R and Python scripting languages) as a technical lead and supporting data curation efforts as a project lead. A key focus is the participation in planning efforts to standardize workflows across data curation efforts to improve project efficiencies and ease interoperability of data.

Prior to joining UL Research Institutes, he served as a biologist who led multiple high-impact data curation projects. He has also overseen the curation of tens of thousands of toxicity values from regulatory and scientific sources, making this critical resource available through a public-facing dashboard. He also developed automated exposure screening workflows for a state department of health’s chemicals of emerging concern initiative.

He holds an M.S. in Global Health from Duke University and a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications on toxicological databases, exposure assessments, and chemical prioritization methodologies, demonstrating his commitment to advancing data-driven approaches for chemical safety evaluation. 

ORCiD: 0000-0002-4610-8645

Galen Spikes is a database engineer at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where he contributes to the design and development of the institute’s data platform and underlying infrastructure. He works closely with researchers, data scientists, and engineers to build systems that enable scalable analysis, reproducible workflows, and dependable access to scientific data.

Galen’s background blends experience in both scientific research environments and large-scale technology platforms. He began his career contributing to efforts within the open-source analytics space during a formative period for modern data tooling. His work has included developing infrastructure for scientific applications and public-facing platforms, as well as operating high-volume production systems focused on automation, reliability, and operational safety in cloud-based environments.

He holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.M. in (Music) Theory & Composition from Florida State University.

ORCiD: 0009-0009-3625-5121

Christa Wright, Ph.D., is the senior research director of the Center for Toxicology & Human Health within UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Her work aims to unravel particle and chemical-mediated molecular mechanisms that cause cellular phenotypic changes, which may lead to disease development. She uses cutting-edge instrumentation to link chemical and particle emission exposures from various consumer products to adverse cellular outcomes using a systems biology approach. 

Christa received a Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Systems with a minor in Environmental Toxicology and an MS in Cancer Biology from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduate school, she completed a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute postdoctoral training fellowship at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She previously served as an assistant professor at Georgia State University, where she taught undergraduate and graduate students. She currently serves as a standing member of the National Institutes of Health study section, Environmental Determinants of Disease. She is the 2024 recipient of the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Outstanding Technical Innovation in Industry. 

ORCiD: 0000-0002-5950-9026

Please contact Bert Kelly for media inquiries.

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

ORCHID iD: 0000-0002-5950-9026

Sandra Brown-Ford, M.S., Ph.D., is the senior laboratory manager for the Center for Toxicology & Human Health within UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where she assesses absorption models in chemical exposure scenarios. Her research uses Automated Dry Heat Diffusion to assess real-life scenarios and behaviors that contribute to absorption risk and lead to potential health impacts.

She holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin and an M.S. in Biomolecular Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, Sandra was a postdoctoral researcher focusing on innate immunity and transcriptomics, managing in vitro studies of inflammation pathways in sepsis treatment. She also researched highly specific Estrogen Receptor Beta targets as improved menopausal therapeutics at Concordia’s School of Pharmacy. Additionally, Sandra is committed to mentorship and has served on the Board of Directors for Elmbrook Schools.

ORCiD: 0000-0003-2766-8396

Haylee Young is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where she focuses on PFAS dermal studies, cell models, and omics analyses.

She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular Biology, with a minor in Public Health from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Young is currently pursuing a M.S. in toxicology from Michigan State University.

Haylee previously worked at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on PDX models for tumor development and at Sorrento Therapeutics on drug development and medical device testing for lymphatic delivery. She volunteers with Remote Area Medical Clinics and the Alzheimer’s Association.

ORCiD: 0009-0005-9523-0654

Joseph (Joe) Hess, Ph.D., is a data scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where he develops exposure and risk assessment models to support clinical studies.

He earned his Ph.D. in computational biophysical chemistry from Clemson University and holds a B.S. in chemistry from Rutgers University. Before his academic career, Joe served in the U.S. Army as a chemical operations specialist. His multidisciplinary training in exposure science and applied data science has equipped him with expertise enabling him to develop and apply robust computational models for biological, chemical, and toxicological research.

ORCiD: 0000-0003-0458-3728

Shaligram Sharma, Ph.D., is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focusing on environmental toxicology and PFAS exposure across various human cell types. His research includes chemical profiling of consumer fragrances, toxicity assessments of lithium-ion battery emissions, and vaping exposure studies. Shaligram also conducts transcriptomic analyses to explore cellular responses to chemical exposures.

He earned his Ph.D. in Biology with a focus on molecular genetics and biotechnology from Georgia State University, along with two master’s degrees in biomedical sciences from Bundelkhand University and neurobiology and behavior science from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Gauhati University. Sharma is an active member of several professional societies and has served as a reviewer for multiple conferences.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-9719-7572

Sungwoong Kim, Ph.D., is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. He develops engineered organoid and tissue models that replicate human organ systems for toxicology studies, using three-dimensional environments and single-cell analysis to create alternatives to animal models. His research enables better evaluation of environmental exposures and supports human-centered public health strategies.

Sungwoong earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University, focusing on T and B cell regulation through engineered microenvironments and gene editing. He completed postdoctoral training at Georgia Tech’s CMaT and Emory University, where he developed scalable CAR-T cell manufacturing platforms and established assays for studying alloimmunity and antibody responses. In the biopharmaceutical industry, he worked on lymphatic drug delivery systems, conducting preclinical studies and developing immunoassays for clinical application.

He has authored many peer-reviewed publications, holds two patents, and received the Immuno Delivery Focus Group Award from the Controlled Release Society.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-8585-4176

Xiaojia He, Ph.D., is a research scientist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. His research focuses on systems toxicology, studying how environmental exposures, such as heavy metals and VOCs, affect host-microbiome interactions and human health. Using multi-omics approaches, he aims to identify biomarkers that bridge critical gaps in the exposure-to-disease continuum, ultimately helping mitigate health risks.

Xiaojia earned his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in microbial bioenergetics and redox dynamics, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Emory University on heavy metal impacts on the gut microbiome and lung health. He has received multiple honors, including the Annual Award for Outstanding Research Achievement, Dissertation Completion Award, Best Paper of the Year, and Young Investigator Award from various organizations, as well as recognition as one of the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford/Elsevier. He has authored 50 peer-reviewed articles with over 3,000 citations, serves as editor and reviewer for multiple journals, and contributes as a conference organizer and session chair.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-8274-5564

Bert Kelly is the director of communications for UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. In his role, Bert leads the institute’s efforts to amplify the work Chemical Insights does in understanding emerging environmental health threats and their impact on human health.

Prior to his time with Chemical Insights, Bert served as a public affairs officer at the CDC where he was a team lead in the News Media Office working with national and international journalists on a variety of communications requests.

Bert earned a B.A. in Journalism and Foreign Languages from Troy University and an M.A. in Communications from the University of Memphis. Since 2009, he has been a part-time instructor at Kennesaw State University’s School of Communication and Media. He is a former Navy Public Affairs Officer and a graduate of the Defense Information School.

Bert is the media contact for Chemical Insights. Please contact him through the following ways:

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

Halley Myers is the Marketing Manager for UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She is dedicated to increasing awareness around environmental health and safety hazards through strategic messaging.

She holds a B.A in Psychology as well as Sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Public Health from Georgia State University.

She previously served as a health communications consultant for multiple federal government agencies focusing on integrated campaigns and digital content around drug and disease prevention and education, outbreak investigations, and scientific publications.

Becky Kellogg is a social media specialist for UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She’s an Emmy Award winning journalist and content creator who has worked for The Weather Channel, USA TODAY and other local and national outlets.

Becky received a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism as well as in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Rey Grimes, CMP, is the senior event specialist of communications at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She excels in designing and executing impactful events that highlight key research for important audiences. With a keen eye for detail, she oversees everything from concept development to vendor negotiations and on-site execution.

Rey holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management from the University of Denver. With over a decade of leadership experience at Marriott International, Slalom Consulting, and Omni Hotels, she has successfully managed events and multimillion-dollar budgets while coordinating cross-functional teams to deliver organized experiences that align with business objectives.

Talia Sager is a content specialist at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, where she translates research findings into impactful messaging for public health education. She holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida State University, alongside a pre-medical track and minors in Chemistry and Biology. At Florida State, she was a research assistant in a developmental biology lab focusing on photoreceptor development in zebrafish.

Prior to her role at Chemical Insights, Sager worked as a marketing content specialist at a digital marketing agency and an eLearning platform, in addition to her experience as a medical assistant in healthcare.

ORCID iD: 0009-0007-9708-2987

Cristi Bell-Huff, Ph.D., serves as the director of partnerships and outreach at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She is responsible for driving the institute’s partnership strategy, identifying and cultivating relationships with key organizations to advance research initiatives. Cristi ensures the strategic tracking and dissemination of research materials to maximize their visibility and impact.

Cristi previously served as a Lecturer and the Director of Faculty and Student Training in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. She has also been an engineering faculty member at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan.

Cristi received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, an MA in Education from the University of Michigan, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

ORCiD: 0000-0001-5329-2017

Please contact Bert Kelly for media inquiries.

Email: Bert.Kelly@ul.org

Phone: (470)957-7854

Holley Henderson is the senior partnerships manager for UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. Henderson plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between science and real-world impact by translating complex research into accessible education and outreach. Her work evolved to leading strategic partnerships with organizations across academia, industry, and public health to amplify Chemical Insights’ position as a national thought leader on indoor air quality, the built environment, and emerging health hazards.

Her background includes decades of providing sustainability consulting and education for the built environment community. She received a B.S. from Auburn University’s School of Architecture. She is also credentialed as LEED Fellow, WELL AP and Fitwel Ambassador. Henderson has served on multiple boards, taught at Auburn University and Georgia State University and was awarded the 2019 Auburn Spirit of Sustainability Award. She is also the author of “Becoming a Green Building Professional (Wiley).”

ORCiD: 0009-0004-0969-3381

Sarah Shainker Connelly, Ph.D., is the education outreach manager at the UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights. She develops and implements educational resources in collaboration with researchers and partners. She also manages educational outreach projects.

Sarah holds a Ph.D. in Biology and a Graduate Certificate in Science Policy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as a B.S. in Marine Biology from the College of Charleston.

Previously, she was a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies. She also previously worked as an environmental educator in Georgia and in Coastal Resource Management with Peace Corps Philippines.

ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3403-0294

Emily Hardan, Ph.D., is the senior research support specialist at the UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, as part of the Partnerships and Outreach team. She tracks activities and materials, prepares quarterly reports and bibliographies, and contributes to research documents and technical writing.

Previously, she worked in product formulation for commercial companies and holds a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Georgia Tech and a B.S. in Chemistry from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Alexandra Kistler is the senior partnerships associate at UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights, focused on partnership development and resource dissemination. She earned a B.S. in Public Health from Mercer University and a Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University.

Her career began as a community health worker in North Georgia, followed by a role as a project coordinator at Mercer University’s School of Medicine, studying infant and maternal mortality rates in Southeast Georgia. Before joining Chemical Insights, she was an ORISE Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working to strengthen the public health workforce.