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Teaching Faculty Members

Doherty, Cathleen

  • Doherty, Cathleen
  • Position: Associate Professor of Professional Practice
  • Office: WL 221
  • Research Interests: Isotope Geochemistry, Environmental Contaminants, Public Health, Community Outreach and Environmental Justice

Bio

Cathleen is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. She received her Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University, with a focus on mantle dynamics and isotope geochemistry. Her studies have brought her all over the world, from living aboard an icebreaker ship in Antarctica to walking across the crust-mantle boundary in Oman!

After receiving her Ph.D., she held a joint position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and a Columbia Science Teaching Fellow in the Frontiers of Science Program at Columbia University. She then served as an Analytical Laboratory Director in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers University, where she mentored undergraduate and graduate students in environmental exposure, toxicology, and analytical methods development.

 

Research Interests

Her current research interests span scales of both time and space, from present-day surface processes related to environmental contamination, to ancient deep-Earth processes related to differentiation of Earth’s reservoirs. Her work employs field and laboratory techniques using isotope geochemistry, in-situ chemical analysis, and mass spectrometry to answer questions related to chemical cycling, biomarkers of human heavy metal exposure, global climate change, and the evolution of Earth’s mantle. Most recently, her research aims to address emerging questions at the intersection of environmental exposure and public health, with a focus on environmental justice. Her broad research interests are motivated by the adaptability of geochemistry to various Earth systems, and the development of novel techniques to assess environmental exposure and human health in at-risk populations.

 

Teaching

Cathleen is also deeply passionate about science education and helping students recognize their own interests, and aims to provide research and learning opportunities that she hopes will engage, inspire, promote, and diversify the future generation of Earth and Environmental Science researchers. She has mentored students through the RISE, LSAMP, SURF, and FIGS programs at Rutgers. She is committed to supporting an equitable and diverse scientific community, and aims to foster an inclusive environment where all people feel safe, valued, and respected.

Courses Taught

Rutgers: Mineralogy, Petrology, Environmental Geology, Planet Earth, Byrne Seminar
Columbia University: Frontiers of Science
Bard College: Citizen Science

 

Recent Publications (since 2020)

  1. Asby, S.C., Thompson, L.E., Ghimire, A., Wen, X., Kim, C., Doherty, C., Buckley, B., Jaimes, E.A., Aleksunes, L., Joy, M.S., 2024. Pharmacokinetic/Toxicodynamic Approach to Evaluate Platinum Nephrotoxicity Using the Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Biomarker: FR-OR67. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

  2. Wen, X., Doherty, C.L., Thompson, L.E., Kim, C., Buckley, B., Jaimes, E.A., Joy, M.S., Aleksunes, L.M., 2024. Determination of Unbound Platinum Concentrations in Human Plasma Using Ultrafiltration and Precipitation Methods. Journal of pharmacological and toxicological methods

  3. Kozlosky, D., Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B., Goedken, M.J., Miller, R.K., Huh, D., Barrett, E.S., Aleksunes, L.M. 2024. Fetoplacental disposition and toxicity of cadmium in mice lacking the Bcrp transporter. Toxicological Sciences

  4. Zhang, R., Walker, L., Wen, X, Doherty, C., Gorczyca, L., Buckley, B., Barrett, E., Aleksunes, L.M. 2023. Placental BCRP Transporter Reduces Cadmium Accumulation and Toxicity in Cultured Human Trophoblasts. Reproductive Toxicology

  5. Kozlosky, D., Lu, A., Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B., Goedken, M.J., Miller, R.K., Barrett, E.S., Aleksunes, L.M. 2023. Cadmium reduces growth of male fetuses by impairing development of the placental vasculature and reducing expression of nutrient transporters. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology

  6. Rivera-Núñez, Z., Hansel, M., Capurro, C., Kozlosky, D., Wang, C., Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B., Ohman-Strickland, P., Miller, R.K., O’Connor, T.G., Aleksunes, L.M., Barrett, E.S., 2023. Prenatal cadmium exposure and maternal sex steroid hormone concentrations across pregnancy. Toxics

  7. Coyte, R.M, Darrah, T., Olesik, J., Barrett, E., O'Connor, T., Brunner, J., Love, T., Perez-D’Gregorio, R., Wang, H.Z., Aleksunes, L.M., Buckley, B., Doherty, C., Miller, R.K., 2023. Gadolinium during Human Pregnancy following Administration of Gadolinium Chelate before Pregnancy. Birth Defects Research

  8. Barrett ES, Rivera-Núñez Z, Getz K, Ohman-Strickland P, Zhang R, Kozlosky D, Doherty CL, Buckley BT, Brunner J, Miller RK, O'Connor TG, Aleksunes LM., 2023. Protective role of the placental efflux transporter BCRP/ABCG2 in the relationship between prenatal cadmium exposure, placenta weight, and size at birth. Environ Res.

  9. †Stratton, S.A., Ettinger, A.S., Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B.T., 2023. The lead and copper rule: Limitations and lessons learned from Newark, New Jersey. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 10(1), p.e1620.

  10. †Lazofsky, A.T., Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B.T., 2022. A Simple Surface Sampling and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Collected from Public Transportation Vehicles in NJ. Emerging Contaminants

  11. Karas, B., Doherty, C.L., Cooper, K.R., Buckley, B.T, 2022. Dose Determination of Metal and Metal-based Compound Exposure in Zebrafish Larvae using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS). JoVE Journal

  12. †D’Errico, J N., Doherty, C L., Reyes George, J., Buckley, B T., Stapleton, P A., 2022. Maternal, Placental, and Fetal Distribution of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles After Repeated Inhalation Through Pregnancy. PLACENTA.

  13. Buckley, B.T., Buckley, R., Doherty, C.L., 2021. Moving Toward a Handheld “Plasma” Spectrometer for Elemental Analysis, Putting the Power of the Atom (Ion) in the Palm of Your Hand. Molecules, 26(16):4761. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26164761

  14. Wen, X., Kozlosky, D., Zhang, R., Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B.T., Barrett, E., Aleksunes, L., 2021. BCRP/ABCG2 Transporter Regulates Accumulation of Cadmium in Kidney Cells: Role of the Q141K Variant in Modulating Nephrotoxicity. Drug Metabolism and Disposition

  15. Doherty, C.L., Buckley, B.T., 2021. Translating Analytical Techniques in Geochemistry to Environmental Health. Molecules, 26 (9), 2821. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26092821

  16. Martin, A. P., Cooper, A. F., Price, R. C. Doherty, C. L., Gamble, J.A., 2021. A review of mantle xenoliths in volcanic rocks from southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Geological Society, London, Memoirs (2021):M56-2019-42. https://doi.org/10.1144/M56-2019-42

  17. Pereira, P.S., van de Flierdt, T., Hemming, S.R., Frederichs, T., Hammond, S.J., Brachfeld, S., Doherty, C., Kuhn, G., Smith, J.A., Klages, J.P. and Hillenbrand, C.D., 2020. The geochemical and mineralogical fingerprint of West Antarctica's weak underbelly: Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers. Chemical Geology, 119649.

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