Richard Connon
(Term 2018 - 2022)
University of California Davis
University of California Davis
Dr. Richard E. Connon is an environmental toxicologist with over 17 research experience. His research focus is on utilizing systems biology to evaluate ecological stress. As such his laboratory conducts assessments of molecular responses to chemical challenges, and evaluates how these are associated with responses measured at higher levels of organization. This approach is geared towards the development of biomarkers, and how they can be best applied as tools for monitoring aquatic systems.
His interest in water quality is both in terms of human consumption and environmental health, and currently utilizes fish models towards understanding the mechanism(s) of action of agricultural and urban contaminants; with a particular interest in pesticides and pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. Research in his laboratory encompasses endocrine disruption and sexual differentiation, as well as neurodevelopment and behavioral alterations following exposures to different chemical classes. His interest in systems biology and stress ecology stems from past research conducted on Daphnia magna during his PhD and Post-Doctoral research, which contributed to Daphnia becoming a model NIH species. Having a mechanistic understanding of how the ever-changing contaminants affect biological systems is crucial to the development of toxicological tools and approaches.
Dr. Connon completed a BSc in Environmental Sciences at the Middlesex University, London (1998) which included an honors research program at the University of Valencia, Spain as an ERASMUS student. He then received a PhD in Toxicology at the University of Reading (/redding/), Berkshire, UK where he continued as a post-doctoral fellow, conducting transcriptomic research on pesticide impacts on Daphnia magna growth, development and reproduction. In 2007 as post-doctoral fellow, he came to UC Davis to sequence the transcriptome of the endangered delta smelt, and conduct toxicological studies on various fish species as well as continue research with aquatic invertebrates. Dr. Connon is now an Associate Adjunct Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, expanding on his interest in toxicology to encompass climate change and multi-stressor assessments.
He has been a member of SETAC since 1999, is involved in the organization of the Sacramento 2018 NA SETAC meeting, and is keen on serving on the NorCal SETAC Board of Directors. SETAC provides a great opportunity for networking, and sharing ideas and opportunities with like-minded colleagues, towards developing stronger tools and approaches in environmental toxicology.
His interest in water quality is both in terms of human consumption and environmental health, and currently utilizes fish models towards understanding the mechanism(s) of action of agricultural and urban contaminants; with a particular interest in pesticides and pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. Research in his laboratory encompasses endocrine disruption and sexual differentiation, as well as neurodevelopment and behavioral alterations following exposures to different chemical classes. His interest in systems biology and stress ecology stems from past research conducted on Daphnia magna during his PhD and Post-Doctoral research, which contributed to Daphnia becoming a model NIH species. Having a mechanistic understanding of how the ever-changing contaminants affect biological systems is crucial to the development of toxicological tools and approaches.
Dr. Connon completed a BSc in Environmental Sciences at the Middlesex University, London (1998) which included an honors research program at the University of Valencia, Spain as an ERASMUS student. He then received a PhD in Toxicology at the University of Reading (/redding/), Berkshire, UK where he continued as a post-doctoral fellow, conducting transcriptomic research on pesticide impacts on Daphnia magna growth, development and reproduction. In 2007 as post-doctoral fellow, he came to UC Davis to sequence the transcriptome of the endangered delta smelt, and conduct toxicological studies on various fish species as well as continue research with aquatic invertebrates. Dr. Connon is now an Associate Adjunct Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, expanding on his interest in toxicology to encompass climate change and multi-stressor assessments.
He has been a member of SETAC since 1999, is involved in the organization of the Sacramento 2018 NA SETAC meeting, and is keen on serving on the NorCal SETAC Board of Directors. SETAC provides a great opportunity for networking, and sharing ideas and opportunities with like-minded colleagues, towards developing stronger tools and approaches in environmental toxicology.